Since chronic stress can ____________ the immune system, making individuals more susceptible to illness and ____________ their overall well-being, healthcare practitioners often recommend mindfulness practices and proper sleep to ____________ these negative effects.
Since chronic stress can ____________ the immune system, making individuals more susceptible to illness and ____________ their overall well-being, healthcare practitioners often recommend mindfulness practices and proper sleep to ____________ these negative effects.
Solution
Understanding the Sentence
Let us break the sentence into three parts and figure out what kind of word fits each blank based on the context of the sentence.
First Blank
The sentence says stress makes people "more susceptible to illness," so the first blank needs a word that means "to weaken" or "to negatively affect" the immune system.
"Undermine" means to weaken gradually. It could work here, but let us check the other blanks too before deciding.
"Compromise" means to weaken or damage. "Compromise the immune system" is a very common and natural phrase used in health and science contexts. It fits perfectly.
"Paralyse" means to completely disable. This is too extreme because stress weakens the immune system but does not completely shut it down.
"Endanger" means to put in danger. You typically "endanger a person or species," not "endanger a system." It sounds awkward and unnatural here.
Second Blank
The sentence is still talking about the negative effects of stress, so this blank also needs a word that means "to harm" or "to worsen" well-being.
"Elevate" from Option 1 means to raise or lift up. That is a positive word, but the sentence is describing negative effects of stress. It does not fit.
"Impair" from Option 2 means to weaken or damage. "Impair well-being" makes perfect sense because stress damages your overall well-being. It fits perfectly.
"Improve" from Option 3 means to make better. That is again a positive word. Stress does not improve well-being. It does not fit.
"Preserve" from Option 4 means to keep safe or maintain. That is also positive. It does not fit.
This blank alone eliminates Options 1, 3, and 4. Only Option 2 has a negative word ("impair") that matches the negative context of the sentence.
Third Blank
Now the sentence shifts to a solution. Mindfulness and sleep are recommended to fight against or reduce the negative effects. So we need a word meaning "to fight against" or "to reduce."
"Counter" from Option 2 means to act against or oppose something. "Counter these negative effects" means to fight back against these bad effects. It fits perfectly.
Why Not the Other Options
Option 1 does not work because "elevate" is positive and stress does not elevate or improve well-being.
Option 3 does not work because "improve" is positive and stress does not improve well-being. Also, "paralyse" is too extreme for this context.
Option 4 does not work because "preserve" is positive and stress does not preserve well-being.
Correct Answer
Option 2: compromise, impair, counter
Helpful Tip
When you are stuck on fill-in-the-blank questions, check all the blanks and not just one. Sometimes one blank is enough to eliminate most options. In this question, the second blank alone eliminated 3 out of 4 choices instantly.
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