Question

new and interesting research conducted by suleiman a. al - sweedan and moath alhaj is inspired by their observation that though there have been many studies of the effect of high altitude on blood chemistry, there is a ______ studies of the effect on blood chemistry of living in locations below sea level, such as the california towns of salton city and seeley.

2
mark for review
which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
a quarrel about
b paucity of
c profusion of
d verisimilitude in

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the context: The sentence says there are many studies on high altitude's effect on blood chemistry, but a ____ of studies on low - altitude (below sea level) effect. We need a word that means "few" to contrast with "many".

• Option A "quarrel about" is about arguing, not related to the number of studies.
• Option C "profusion of" means a large number, which is the opposite of what we need.
• Option D "verisimilitude in" is about the appearance of truth, not about the number of studies.
• Option B "paucity of" means a small number or scarcity, which fits the context as it contrasts with the many studies on high altitude.

Answer:

B. paucity of