There is a sentence that is missing in the paragraph below. Look at the paragraph and decide where (option 1, 2, 3, or 4) the following sentence would best fit:

**Sentence:** This reality is putting stress on employees who have to pay for transport, desk lunches, more childcare, clothing, and that after-work socialisation – costs they haven't incurred for nearly two years.

**Paragraph:**
______(1)_______. Prices are rising at their fastest rate in 40 years; consequently, return-to-office-related costs have shot up – think petrol and food, for instance. ______(2)_______. Yet wages haven't kept up with inflation – even despite the salary growth many workers have enjoyed during a favourable pandemic labour market. ______(3)_______. This is especially jarring for workers who were able to save during remote work when these expenditures weren't a factor. ______-(4)________. In April 2022, Umus, a London university lecturer, told BBC Worklife that they were spending nearly a quarter of what they made every day on return-to-work costs.

Question

There is a sentence that is missing in the paragraph below. Look at the paragraph and decide where (option 1, 2, 3, or 4) the following sentence would best fit:

**Sentence:** This reality is putting stress on employees who have to pay for transport, desk lunches, more childcare, clothing, and that after-work socialisation – costs they haven't incurred for nearly two years.

**Paragraph:**  
______(1)_______. Prices are rising at their fastest rate in 40 years; consequently, return-to-office-related costs have shot up – think petrol and food, for instance. ______(2)_______. Yet wages haven't kept up with inflation – even despite the salary growth many workers have enjoyed during a favourable pandemic labour market. ______(3)_______. This is especially jarring for workers who were able to save during remote work when these expenditures weren't a factor. ______-(4)________. In April 2022, Umus, a London university lecturer, told BBC Worklife that they were spending nearly a quarter of what they made every day on return-to-work costs.

Accepted Answer

The missing sentence discusses the stress caused by additional costs incurred due to returning to office work. To determine its placement:

- **Blank 1:** It cannot be the opening sentence as it refers to "this reality," which requires prior context.
- **Blank 2:** The sentences before and after this blank focus on inflation and wages, making this blank unsuitable for discussing specific stress factors.
- **Blank 3:** This is the best fit as the missing sentence elaborates on costs incurred by employees returning to work, aligning with the idea of expenditures mentioned before and after this blank.
- **Blank 4:** The sentence before this blank discusses specific examples rather than general stress factors mentioned in the missing sentence.

Thus, placing the sentence in **Blank 3** ensures logical continuity within the paragraph.

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