Meaning: 'Fewer' means a smaller number of something that can be counted, indicating that not as many people are required for certain tasks due to advancements in technology.

Wrong options:

• Smart: 'Smart' is an adjective that describes intelligence or technology but does not fit grammatically or contextually as it does not quantify people.
• Little: 'Little' is typically used to describe small amounts of uncountable nouns, making it inappropriate here since 'people' is countable.
• Sharp: 'Sharp' is an adjective that refers to a point or edge and does not relate to the quantity of people, thus failing to fit the context.

Correct answer: extent

Explanation: The word 'extent' refers to the degree or amount to which something happens, which fits well in the context of how much the word processor and email have replaced secretarial staff. It aligns with the overall meaning of the sentence.

Meaning: 'Extent' means the degree to which something is true or the range of something, indicating how significantly technology has changed the need for secretarial roles.

Wrong options:

• portion: 'Portion' refers to a part of a whole and does not convey the degree of replacement effectively in this context.
• summit: 'Summit' refers to the highest point or peak and is unrelated to the context of replacement or degree, making it unsuitable here.
• grand: 'Grand' typically describes something large or impressive but does not fit the context of measuring the degree of change.

Correct answer: one

Explanation: The word 'one' is used here to refer to a specific time in the past, fitting grammatically and contextually as it indicates a singular instance of time when manual copying was the norm.

Meaning: 'One' refers to a single unit or instance, in this case, indicating a specific time when all copies were made manually.

Wrong options:

• present: 'Present' refers to the current time and does not fit the context of discussing a past method of copying.
• leisure: 'Leisure' refers to free time and does not indicate a specific time period, making it contextually irrelevant here.
• this: 'This' is a demonstrative pronoun that refers to something nearby or current, which does not fit the context of referring to a past time.

Correct answer: with

Explanation: The word 'with' indicates the means by which something is done, fitting grammatically and contextually as it shows the relationship between the replacement of one type of work with another.

Meaning: 'With' indicates the manner or means by which something is done, in this case, replacing one kind of work using another method or tool.

Wrong options:

• on: 'On' typically indicates a position or surface and does not convey the relationship of replacement effectively in this context.
• as: 'As' is used to indicate a role or function but does not fit the context of replacement between types of work.
• some: 'Some' is a determiner that does not fit grammatically or contextually as it does not indicate the means of replacement.