Question

read the paragraph, then choose the word that best completes the sentence.
in april 2010, india began a year-long census of its population of a billion-plus people—the second largest in the world. about 2.5 million census-takers began traveling to more than 630,000 villages and 5,000 cities in a prodigious effort to visit every structure serving as a home. for the first time, census-takers documented the availability of toilets, drinking water, and electricity. they also recorded the building materials used to construct homes. officials planned to interpret this information to draw conclusions about the residents economic status. the ultimate goal was to combine the data to create a full and accurate map of housing conditions in india.
the report was intended to be _______.
a subtle
b speculative
c inconsistent
d comprehensive

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the context. The census aimed to create a "full and accurate map of housing conditions" by combining data from a large - scale effort (visiting many villages and cities, documenting various aspects).

• Option A: "subtle" means delicate or not obvious, which doesn't fit the idea of a full and accurate report.
• Option B: "speculative" means based on guesses, but the census was about collecting real data, so this is incorrect.
• Option C: "inconsistent" means not consistent, which is the opposite of what a full and accurate report would be.
• Option D: "comprehensive" means covering all aspects or being thorough, which matches the goal of creating a full and accurate map of housing conditions.

Answer:

D. comprehensive