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There is a sentence that is missing in the paragraph below. Look at the paragraph and decide where (option 1, 2, 3, or 4) the following sentence would best fit.

Paragraph: Bringing workers back to their desks has been a rocky road for employers and employees alike. The evolution of the pandemic has meant that best laid plans have often not materialised. ___ (1) ___ . The flow of workers back into offices has been more of a trickle than a steady stream. ___ (2) ___ Yet while plenty of companies are still working through their new policies, some employees across the globe are now back at their desks, whether on a full-time or hybrid basis. ___ (3) ___ . That means we're beginning to get some clarity on what return-to-office means what's working, as well as what has yet to be settled. ___ (4) ___ .

Sentence: This has meant a lot of uncertainty around what a wide-scale return to office might look like in practice.

Solution

βœ… Correct Option: 2

We need to find where the sentence about uncertainty fits best in the paragraph's logical flow.

From passage: "The evolution of the pandemic has meant that best laid plans have often not materialised... The flow of workers back into offices has been more of a trickle than a steady stream... Yet while plenty of companies are still working through their new policies... That means we're beginning to get some clarity..."

The key is following the thought progression: failed plans -> slow return -> uncertainty -> companies figuring things out -> gaining clarity.


Step-by-step elimination process:

πŸ”΄ Option 4 -> context-shift -> The sentence right before talks about gaining clarity, but our sentence is about uncertainty. These ideas clash directly - you can't have clarity and uncertainty at the same time.

🟠 Option 3 -> timing-error -> Comes after mentioning people are already back at desks, but our sentence talks about uncertainty around what it might look like - this timing doesn't make sense if people are already there.

🟠 Option 1 -> flow-issue -> Could work since it follows failed plans, but then we'd jump from uncertainty straight to the "trickle" description without smooth connection.

🟒 Option 2 -> perfect flow -> After describing the slow trickle of returns, uncertainty about wide-scale return makes perfect sense. Then "Yet while companies are working through policies" flows naturally from this uncertainty.

The sentence fits option 2 because it bridges the slow return reality with the uncertainty about full-scale return, leading smoothly into companies still figuring out their policies.

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