World economic growth, which was already___ will be further dampened ___ to Brexit.1 pointA. Stumbling; thanksB. Gloom; owingC. Low; asD. Sputtering; due

To choose the correct options to fill in the blanks, we need to assess the context indicated in the question.

Step 1: Analyze the Sentence

The sentence suggests that world economic growth is not performing well and that Brexit will have a negative impact on it.

Step 2: Evaluate the Options

1. A. Stumbling; thanks - "stumbling" indicates poor performance, but "thanks" does not correctly imply negative causation.
2. B. Gloom; owing - "gloom" is a pessimistic outlook, and "owing" appropriately connects an effect (Brexit) to its cause (the gloomy economic outlook).
3. C. Low; as - "low" works but "as" does not provide a strong causal relationship.
4. D. Sputtering; due - "sputtering" implies poor performance, and "due" correctly shows causation but is less precise than "owing."

Step 3: Choose the Best Fit

Option B uses words that best fit the context both in meaning and in grammatical structure.

Final Answer

B. Gloom; owing is the correct choice. World economic growth, which was already gloom, will be further dampened owing to Brexit.