Question

complete the sentence with the word that best fits the overall meaning and tone. during the science, space, and technology committee hearing, the senator asked the nasa panelist to ______ her position on the team before commencing. ensure confirm ascertain

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the context and the meanings of the words:

• "ensure" means to make sure something happens, often followed by an action (e.g., ensure that...), not typically used with "position" in this context.
• "confirm" means to establish the truth or correctness of something, like confirming a position (stating it is correct/valid), which fits the context of a hearing where a panelist's position might be verified.
• "ascertain" means to find out or determine, which implies the senator would be doing the finding, but the sentence is about the panelist doing an action to their own position, so it's less fitting.

Answer:

B. confirm