In the sentence below, one word does not fit the context. From the four…

Concept: Sentence-improvement / word-substitution items test precise word choice in context: many words share a surface similarity but carry sharply different connotations — who is affected, what caused the feeling, and what emotion is involved. The correct replacement must match both the grammar of the sentence and the exact shade of meaning the rest of the sentence implies.

Application: Here, the sentence describes someone who, after an accident, lost the ability to speak — an effect normally caused by a sudden, overwhelming psychological shock, not by being made stable or steady. “stabilized” therefore does not fit; the replacement must denote that shock reaction.

• Traumatized — describes a lasting psychological shock caused by a distressing event, which is exactly the effect the sentence describes.

• Ashamed — describes embarrassment or guilt over one's own conduct; it has nothing to do with the effect of an accident.

• Betrayed — describes the injury caused specifically by another person's broken trust or deception, not a physical accident.

• Corrupted — describes moral dishonesty or structural damage/alteration; it is not an emotional or psychological state at all.

Only “Traumatized” carries the sense of a shock severe enough to silence someone, so it is the correct replacement.