Re: Historically, soap has been by treating animal or vegetable oils wit
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25 May 2023, 04:00
OE
A, D Perhaps you weren’t expecting a chemistry lesson, but this question provides it. Don’t let the unfamiliar content distract you; instead, focus on the clues. You need a verb in the blank: what have people historically done to soap? The best clues are “treating” and “to create.” These words indicate that people made soap with this process. Both (A) manufactured and (D) produced match this meaning and are the correct answers. (B) enhanced and (C) improved are synonyms but do not match the clues in the sentence: there is nothing to indicate that soap was once an inferior product and needed improving. (E) ameliorated means “to make a bad situation more tolerable” and is not supported by the clues in the sentence. Finally, there’s no suggestion in this sentence that people (F) undermined soap; instead, they used this process to create it.