College Board ? of the Day

Choose the word or set of words that, when inserted in the sentence, best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

The alarm voiced by the committee investigating the incident had a ------- effect, for its dire predictions motivated people to take precautions that ------- an ecological disaster.

1. trivial . . prompted
   
2. salutary . . averted
   
3. conciliatory . . supported
   
4. beneficial . . exacerbated
   
5. perverse . . vanquished

Hint
The word “for” indicates that the second clause gives a reason in support of the claim made in the first clause.