Choose from the options lettered A - E the one that most appropriately completes each sentence The patient’s condition has gone from bad to___________

Analyze the question: The sentence uses the idiom "gone from bad to ___". We need the word that completes this common expression correctly.

Explain the concept: The idiom is "from bad to worse". It means a situation that was already unpleasant has become even more unpleasant. Worse is the comparative form of bad (bad → worse → worst). Because the sentence compares the patient's present condition with an earlier "bad" one, a comparative form is needed, not a superlative.

Step-by-step solution:

1. The sentence begins with "bad", so the condition was already poor.
2. "Gone from... to..." shows a change, so the second word must show a further decline.
3. Check each option: • A. better: This shows improvement, which contradicts the idiom. • B. good: This is the opposite of bad and does not fit the idiom. • C. weak: This is not the standard comparative form and breaks the idiom. • D. worse: This is correct. It is the comparative of bad and the fixed idiom is "from bad to worse". • E. worst: This is a superlative, used when comparing three or more things. The idiom does not use it.

Answer: The patient's condition has gone from bad to worse, which is option D.

Tip: Memorize this idiom as a pair: "from bad to worse". Also remember that comparatives (worse, better) compare two states, while superlatives (worst, best) pick the extreme among many. A change from one state to another almost always uses the comparative.