Question

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.

• A. compromise; impair; counter
• B. endanger; preserve; decrease
• C. paralyse; improve; diminish
• D. undermine; elevate; impede

Hint:

In multiple-blank questions, use the process of elimination. Even if you're unsure about the first blank, you can often eliminate options based on a word that clearly doesn't fit in the second or third blank.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question requires filling in three blanks with words that fit the logical and contextual meaning of the sentence. The sentence describes the negative effects of stress and the positive effects of certain practices.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let's analyze the blanks one by one:

Blank 1: Stress has a negative effect on the immune system. Words like "compromise," "endanger," "paralyse," or "undermine" would fit.
Blank 2: Stress also has a negative effect on well-being. A word like "impair" (weaken or damage) fits well. "Preserve" and "improve" are positive and incorrect. "Elevate" doesn't make sense in this context.
Blank 3: Mindfulness and sleep are recommended to deal with the negative effects. A word like "counter" (act against) or "mitigate" would be appropriate. "Decrease," "diminish," or "impede" (hinder) do not fit the meaning of actively fighting the effects.
Now let's evaluate the options as a whole:

(1) compromise; impair; counter: "Compromise the immune system" (weaken it), "impair their overall well-being" (damage it), and "counter these negative effects" (act against them). All three words fit perfectly.
(2) endanger; preserve; decrease: "Preserve" is incorrect.
(3) paralyse; improve; diminish: "Improve" is incorrect.
(4) undermine; elevate; impede: "Elevate" and "impede" are incorrect.
The only option where all three words are logically and contextually correct is (1).
Step 3: Final Answer:
The correct words are compromise; impair; counter.