Choose the answer that best matches the word in italics. Use context clues to determine the meaning of the word, if necessary.

The magnitude of the disaster is hard to imagine
A. size
B. pain
C. debris
D. ripple effect

A. size

The answer that best matches the word in italics, "magnitude," is A. size. In this context, the word "magnitude" refers to the extent or scale of the disaster, which is difficult to imagine.

To determine the meaning of the word in italics, we can analyze the context clues provided in the sentence. The sentence states that "The magnitude of the disaster is hard to imagine." This indicates that the disaster is large or significant. Given this information, we can infer that the word "magnitude" means size or extent.

Therefore, the best answer that matches the word "magnitude" in this context is A. size.