Please provide the explanation

Analysis of the Sentence
1. The Contrast: In the mid-2000s, applications were seen as detractors (harmful to productivity).
2. The Change: Now, most businesses have embraced the power of these applications.
3. The Purpose: The applications are used "not only to ________ productivity, but also to further their brands."
4. Required Meaning: The blank must be a word that means to increase, improve, or support productivity, contrasting with the previous view that these applications detracted from it.

Evaluating the Options
We are looking for synonyms meaning to improve/increase/support.
- A. bolster: To support or strengthen. (Strong fit for supporting productivity.)
- B. engender: To cause or give rise to (a feeling, situation, or condition). (Possible, but bolster is a more direct fit for supporting an existing concept like productivity.)
- C. vilipend: To regard as of little worth; disparage. (Opposite meaning.)
- D. ameliorate: To make (something bad or unsatisfactory) better. (Strong fit for improving a negative or neutral state of productivity.)
- E. depreciate: To diminish in value over a period of time. (Opposite meaning.)
- F. supplant: To supersede and replace. (Incorrect-they are not replacing productivity; they are improving it.)

The two best words that mean to improve, strengthen, or support productivity are bolster and ameliorate.

The correct answers are A. bolster and D. ameliorate.

### 1. Purpose of the question

This Sentence Equivalence problem tests your **vocabulary precision with verbs** and your ability to follow a **contrast signaled by a semicolon plus “however,”** as well as the parallel structure “not only X, but also Y.”

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### 2. Step-by-step solution

**a. Read the sentence without looking at the choices.**
Original Question: Throughout the mid-2000s, many corporations viewed internet applications such as personal email and social media as detractors from productivity; however, most businesses have now embraced the power of these applications not only to _______ productivity, but also further their brands in the marketplace.

Paraphrase: In the mid-2000s, companies thought email/social media **hurt** productivity; **however**, now they see these tools as powerful and use them not only to ______ productivity, but also to promote their brands.

The connector **“however”** after the semicolon marks a **direct contrast**: past negative view vs. present positive view. The structure **“not only ... but also ...”** links two benefits of these applications. So the blank must be **a positive effect** on productivity.

**Prediction in plain English:**

> “increase / improve / enhance productivity.”

The blank follows “to,” so it must be a **verb**.

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**b. Evaluate each answer choice.**

A. **bolster** – to strengthen, support, or reinforce.

* “Bolster productivity” = make productivity stronger/higher.
* Matches our prediction and the positive tone.
→ **Keep.**

B. **engender** – to produce or give rise to.

* “Engender productivity” is grammatically possible, but idiomatically odd; we usually engender *feelings* or *situations*, not productivity itself.
* Also, its meaning (“cause”) is not a close synonym of our other best candidate.
→ **Reject.**

C. **vilipend** – to disparage, belittle.

* Clearly negative; opposite of the new positive view.
→ **Reject.**

D. **ameliorate** – to improve or make better.

* “Ameliorate productivity” = improve productivity; sense fits the prediction and the positive framing.
→ **Keep.**

E. **depreciate** – to decrease in value.

* Negative; would contradict the idea that companies now **embrace** these tools.
→ **Reject.**

F. **supplant** – to replace or take the place of.

* “Supplant productivity” makes no sense; productivity is not being replaced.
→ **Reject.**

The only pair that both fits the sentence and is close in meaning is:

> **A. bolster** and **D. ameliorate**
> Both mean **“to improve/strengthen.”**

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### 3. General Strategy Takeaway

* Use **contrast markers** (“however,” “but,” “yet”) to see how the second clause reverses or corrects the first. That global logic usually tells you whether the blank must be positive or negative.
* Notice parallel structures like **“not only X, but also Y”**: the blank must be compatible with the other half of the pair (here, a benefit to branding).
* Always **predict a simple word first** (“improve productivity”) before looking at choices; then keep only those that match this meaning and tone.
* In Sentence Equivalence, the two correct answers must **both fit the context and be near-synonyms of each other**; if they don’t feel similar, reconsider your picks.