|Question 1Verbal

Source Texts

Text
In New Zealand, France, and other countries with strong democratic institutions, the state tends to exert relatively little direct control over economic performance. Though this may seem to ______blank the state’s ability to curb inflation, Raj Desai et al. have shown that strongly democratic states can and do deploy effective counterinflationary policies.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
hamper
A
extort
B
underscore
C
impugn
D