Select the correct option:
The startup scaled so rapidly that its infrastructure could _______ keep pace.

Correct option is A

The correct option to fill in the blank is (a) barely.
Explanation: Barely (hardly; only just) collocates naturally with “keep pace,” conveying that the infrastructure almost failed to match the rapid scaling. It adds the sense of near-insufficiency while remaining idiomatic in contemporary usage. (Hindi: मुश्किल से/किसी तरह)
Example: The servers were so overloaded they could barely keep pace with user demand.
Explain why other options are incorrect:
· (b) merely: only/simply; does not express difficulty or insufficiency (Hindi: मात्र/केवल)
· (c) scarcely: hardly; very close in meaning, but more formal/negative-toned; “could scarcely keep pace” is possible, yet barely is the more neutral, modern collocation here (Hindi: मुश्किल से/बहुत कम)
· (d) all but: almost/nearly; would invert the meaning (“almost keep pace” ≈ nearly succeeded), not the intended difficulty (Hindi: लगभग/लग-भग)