The musician tried to ____ the loss by playing louder for the audience.

The musician tried to ____ the loss by playing louder for the audience.

• A. have confidence in
• B. adept in/at
• C. compensate for
• D. familiar with

Answer: (C)

The idea being tested is choosing a verb that means counterbalancing or making up for a deficit. Here, the musician aims to offset a loss by increasing the volume of the performance. The phrase that expresses this is “compensate for,” which means to make up for something lacking or to counteract a loss. So the sentence reads naturally as: The musician tried to compensate for the loss by playing louder for the audience. The other options don’t fit the action being described. “Have confidence in” means to trust something, not to take action to offset a loss. “Adept in/at” is an adjective describing skill, not a verb phrase that shows an action toward the loss. “Familiar with” means knowing about something, not counteracting a deficit.

The idea being tested is choosing a verb that means counterbalancing or making up for a deficit. Here, the musician aims to offset a loss by increasing the volume of the performance. The phrase that expresses this is “compensate for,” which means to make up for something lacking or to counteract a loss. So the sentence reads naturally as: The musician tried to compensate for the loss by playing louder for the audience.

The other options don’t fit the action being described. “Have confidence in” means to trust something, not to take action to offset a loss. “Adept in/at” is an adjective describing skill, not a verb phrase that shows an action toward the loss. “Familiar with” means knowing about something, not counteracting a deficit.