For these reasons, gold remains ________ desirable now as it ever was.

• A. As
• B. More
• C. So
• D. Very

Answer: (A)

The missing word is the word used for equality in comparisons: as. The sentence uses the familiar as…as structure to say that gold’s level of desirability now is exactly the same as it has always been. The first as goes before the adjective desirable, and the second as starts the clause it’s being compared to (“it ever was”). So the meaning is that gold remains just as desirable now as it ever was.

Using more would imply a higher degree of desirability than before and would need than, not as. So isn’t a standard fit here, since that form isn’t used to express equality in this context. Very isn’t the right choice either because it doesn’t create the required equal comparison and would ruin the grammatical pattern.