In the following passage, some of the words have been left out. Read the passage carefully and, for the blank describing how expedient an action is, select the correct answer out of the four alternatives. Morality is identical with ethics and symbolises the doctrine of actions that are right or wrong. Politics is the science of expediency and need not always be right. If something is wrong and ______ expedient, it cannot be justifiable.

Introduction / Context:
This question continues the passage contrasting morality and politics. Morality is concerned with right and wrong, while politics is described as the science of expediency. The focus here is on a sentence about an action that is morally wrong but still convenient or useful in a narrow sense. You must choose the adverb that best completes the phrase if something is wrong and ______ expedient, it cannot be justifiable so that the moral argument becomes clear and natural.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- Morality deals with ethical right and wrong. - Politics deals with expediency. - The sentence in question reads: If something is wrong and ______ expedient, it cannot be justifiable. - Options: merely, essentially, surely, hardly. - The adverb must describe the type of expediency.

Concept / Approach:
The author wants to highlight that even if an action is useful or convenient in a practical sense, that alone does not make it morally acceptable. The adverb needed should have the sense of only or just, so that the sentence conveys that being expedient by itself does not provide moral justification. The word merely precisely carries this meaning of only and emphasises that expediency, when detached from morality, is insufficient.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Focus on the structure if something is wrong and ______ expedient, it cannot be justifiable. Step 2: Interpret the idea. The writer is saying that moral wrongness outweighs practical usefulness, so the expediency is only of a narrow kind. Step 3: Test merely. The phrase wrong and merely expedient means morally wrong but only practically convenient, making the conclusion it cannot be justifiable very logical. Step 4: Test essentially. Wrong and essentially expedient is confusing because essentially suggests core nature, not a narrow, limited usefulness. Step 5: Test surely and hardly. Surely expedient means certainly expedient, and hardly expedient means almost not expedient. Neither creates the intended contrast between moral wrongness and mere practical benefit.

Verification / Alternative check:
Read the full argument with the candidate word. Morality is identical with ethics and symbolises the doctrine of actions that are right or wrong. Politics is the science of expediency and need not always be right. If something is wrong and merely expedient, it cannot be justifiable. This sequence states clearly that even when political actions appear useful in a short term sense, if they are morally wrong, they are not justified. With any other adverb, the sentence becomes either awkward or confusing and loses this precise moral emphasis.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Essentially is wrong because it suggests that expediency is part of the essential nature of the action, which does not support the idea that expediency is a shallow benefit. Surely is wrong because it only expresses certainty and does not contrast moral wrongness with narrow practicality. Hardly is wrong because wrong and hardly expedient would mean the action is not even very expedient, which would weaken the need for the strong moral conclusion.

Common Pitfalls:
A typical mistake in cloze tests is to choose words that fit grammatically but not logically. All four adverbs can grammatically precede expedient, but only one supports the central idea of the passage. Whenever a passage develops a moral or logical argument, you should check how each option affects that argument. Ask whether the sentence still supports the same conclusion. Here, only merely sets up the strong conclusion that expediency alone can never justify a morally wrong act.

Final Answer:
The sentence should emphasise that expediency alone is not enough, so the correct word for the blank is merely.