The recent floods in some countries have _______ many lives

Step 1: Analyze the question We need the word that best completes the sentence: "The recent floods in some countries have ___ many lives." This tests collocation, meaning which verbs naturally go with the noun "lives."

Step 2: Explain the concept In English, certain words are habitually paired. For disasters, accidents, and diseases, we say they claim lives. This is a fixed expression meaning "to cause the death of people."

Step 3: Test each option

• A. claimed: "claimed many lives" is a standard collocation. ✔
• B. drowned: People can be drowned, but we don't say "drowned lives." The verb needs a person as its object, not "lives."
• C. buried: Floods don't usually "bury lives." This is also not a natural collocation.
• D. injured: You injure people, not lives. Injury also doesn't mean death, so it doesn't fit.

Step 4: Answer The correct option is A. claimed.

Tip: Memorize common "lives" collocations: claim lives, save lives, lose lives, take lives, risk lives. When a disaster or disease is the subject, "claim" is almost always the best choice. For example: "The epidemic claimed thousands of lives."