Which word means to reduce in force or weaken?

• A. Assuage
• B. Attenuate
• C. Bolster
• D. Bombastic

Answer: (B)

The idea tested is a verb that means to lessen the strength or intensity of something. Attenuate means to reduce in force, magnitude, or effect. It fits both physical things like a signal, sound, or radiation, and abstract effects like the impact of a policy. The other words don’t match as well: assuage means to ease pain or distress, not to diminish actual force; bolster means to strengthen or support; bombastic describes pompous, inflated language rather than any sense of reducing strength. So, attenuate is the right choice because it directly conveys weakening or lessening of force.