Question

1. if musicians do not continue to practice their instruments, they can ____ play in new ways.

a. risk
b. stagnate
c. trigger

Explanation:

We need to choose the correct word to fill in the blank. The sentence is "If musicians do not continue to practice their instruments, they can ____ play in new ways." Let's analyze each option:

• Option A: "risk" doesn't fit here as the structure "risk play" is incorrect. The correct phrase would be "risk (doing) something", but this doesn't fit the context of the sentence about the ability to play in new ways being affected by not practicing.
• Option B: "stagnate" means to stop developing or making progress. If musicians don't practice, their ability to play in new ways (which requires development and progress) would stagnate, meaning they would stop being able to do so or their ability would not improve. This fits the context.
• Option C: "trigger" means to cause something to happen. It doesn't make sense in this context as not practicing wouldn't "trigger" playing in new ways; in fact, it would likely hinder it.

Answer:

B. stagnate