Question

most importantly, though, the highway bypass would have disastrous effects on the areas homeowners. as planned, the new road would cut directly through the middle of the ellwood acres subdivision. not only would this send more cars through the neighborhood, but these cars would be traveling at much higher speeds, putting children at risk. what is more, homeowners would have to deal with the increased noise and pollution that would result from such a heavily trafficked road. finally, the new road would cause residential properties to depreciate. this means that families who chose to move away would have to sell their homes for far less than their current value.
→ as used in the passage, which is the best definition for depreciate?
a to improve with age
b to accumulate over time
c to diminish in popularity
d to decrease in value

Explanation:

The passage states "This means that families who chose to move away would have to sell their homes for far less than their current value." This indicates that "depreciate" relates to a reduction in value. Option d aligns with this context as it means "to decrease in value". Options a (improve with age) and b (accumulate over time) are opposite in meaning. Option c (diminish in popularity) is not supported by the text which focuses on value reduction, not popularity.

Answer:

d. to decrease in value