Inflation has caused the cost of goods to _________

Step 1: Analyze the question The sentence is "Inflation has caused the cost of goods to ___." We need a verb that means prices rise rapidly and sharply, and that collocates naturally with "cost" or "prices".

Step 2: Explain the concept (word choice and collocation) In English, some words have similar general meanings but are used with particular nouns. Choosing the right one depends on collocation, which means which words naturally go together.

Step 3: Test each option

• A. escalate: means to increase rapidly or become more serious or intense. It is commonly used with costs, prices, conflicts and tensions. "Costs escalate" is a standard phrase. ✔
• B. ascend: means to go up or climb, usually physically (ascend a hill, ascend the throne). It is not used for prices. ✘
• C. intensify: means to become stronger or more extreme. It is used with feelings, pressure, fighting or heat, not with the cost of goods. ✘
• D. progress: means to move forward or improve. It does not fit a negative economic effect like inflation. ✘

Step 4: Answer The sentence becomes: "Inflation has caused the cost of goods to escalate." This is natural, and it matches the meaning of inflation, a rapid rise in prices.

Tip: In "closest meaning" or "fill in the gap" questions, ask yourself, "Which word do native speakers usually pair with this noun?" Remember: costs and prices escalate, people ascend stairs, feelings intensify, students progress.