Within the last quarter of the twentieth century, medical experts have been laying emphasis on ___71___ rather than ___72___ measures. Through primary health care programmes, people have been taught about these. When an individual ___73___ a disease, he has to see a doctor for ___74___. At times, the doctor finds it difficult to ___75___ the disease during the initial examination of the patient because many diseases have similar ___76___. When this happens, the patient is either asked to go to the ___77___ for one test or the other or he would have ___78___ taken to help the doctor find out what is happening internally. it is after all these, and sometimes more, that the doctor can ___79___ some drugs for the individual and perhaps give him some ___80___. To save yourself and everyone else from this headache, it is advisable to pay heed to public health programmes.
In the following passage, the numbered gap 71 indicates a missing word. Four options are given in columns lettered A, to D. Choose the word that is the most suitable to fill the gap in the passage.
- effective
- protective
- defensive
-
preventive
The correct answer is: D
Explanation
In the context of the passage, the sentence talks about medical experts emphasizing a particular approach within the last quarter of the twentieth century. The word that aligns well with this emphasis and fits the context is "preventive." Preventive measures are actions taken to prevent or avoid something, and in the context of health, it refers to measures taken to prevent diseases or health issues.
Therefore, the complete sentence would be: "Within the last quarter of the twentieth century, medical experts have been laying emphasis on preventive rather than defensive measures." This means that the emphasis is on measures that prevent health issues rather than defensive measures taken after the issues have already occurred.