Vocabulary (Best Replacement) – Pick the word that most appropriately replaces the highlighted verb in this policy context. Sentence: The general policies will “relieve” the sufferings of the common man.

Introduction / Context:
The sentence speaks about public policies reducing suffering. We need the most idiomatic replacement for “relieve” in this humanitarian context. Several choices are similar, but usage with “suffering(s)” determines the best fit.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Noun: sufferings (plural), i.e., hardships, distress.
• Register: formal/public policy statement.
• Candidates: alleviate, mitigate, moderate, abate.

Concept / Approach:
All four words suggest reduction. However, “alleviate suffering” is a fixed and highly common collocation in social policy, medicine, and humanitarian discourse. The others are suitable with different nouns (e.g., mitigate risk, moderate tone, abate noise/rain). Collocational strength matters in close-choice questions.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Searchable phrase frequency (in corpora/dictionaries) overwhelmingly supports “alleviate suffering” as the canonical pairing, confirming best choice.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• mitigate: Good near-synonym but less idiomatic with “suffering.”
• moderate: Usually about tempering extremes, not hardships.
• abate: Often intransitive with phenomena; less natural with “sufferings.”

Common Pitfalls:
Picking any synonym without checking collocation. In verbal ability, the “best” answer often hinges on customary pairings.

Final Answer:
alleviate