Meaning: 'Battling' means to engage in a struggle or fight, in this case, against court cases.

Wrong options:

• sympathize: The verb 'sympathize' means to share feelings or emotions with someone, which does not fit the context of legal actions.
• look: The verb 'look' does not convey any action related to legal disputes and is too vague in this context.
• curtail: The verb 'curtail' means to reduce or limit, which does not describe the action of engaging in court cases.
• concerned: The adjective 'concerned' describes a state of worry or interest, which does not fit as it does not indicate an action.
• touch: The verb 'touch' does not relate to the context of legal battles and is not appropriate here.
• concerning: The gerund 'concerning' does not fit grammatically as it does not indicate an action taken by the government.

Correct answer: curtail

Explanation: The word 'curtail' is a verb that means to reduce or limit something. It fits contextually as it describes the government's intention to limit press freedom through legal means.

Meaning: 'Curtail' means to cut short or restrict something, in this case, press freedom.

Wrong options:

• battling: The word 'battling' refers to an ongoing struggle, which does not fit as it does not indicate a goal of limiting freedom.
• look: The verb 'look' does not convey any action related to limiting or reducing, making it inappropriate here.
• touch: The verb 'touch' does not relate to the context of limiting press freedom and is not suitable.
• concerned: The adjective 'concerned' does not indicate an action and does not fit the context of limiting freedom.
• sympathize: The verb 'sympathize' means to share feelings, which does not relate to the action of limiting press freedom.
• concerning: The gerund 'concerning' does not fit grammatically as it does not indicate an action of limitation.

Correct answer: touch

Explanation: The word 'touch' is a verb that indicates relevance or connection to a subject. It fits grammatically and contextually as it describes matters that are related to national security.

Meaning: 'Touch' means to have an effect on or to relate to something, in this case, national security.

Wrong options:

• curtail: The verb 'curtail' means to limit or reduce, which does not fit as it does not indicate relevance to national security.
• battling: The word 'battling' refers to an ongoing struggle, which does not convey the idea of relevance to national security.
• look: The verb 'look' does not convey any meaning related to relevance and is too vague in this context.
• concerned: The adjective 'concerned' describes a state of worry, which does not fit as it does not indicate a connection to national security.
• sympathize: The verb 'sympathize' means to share feelings, which does not relate to the context of national security.
• concerning: The gerund 'concerning' does not fit grammatically as it does not indicate a direct action or relevance.

Correct answer: concerning

Explanation: The word 'concerning' is a preposition that indicates a relationship to a subject. It fits grammatically and contextually as it describes matters that relate to national security.

Meaning: 'Concerning' means relating to or about something, in this case, national security.

Wrong options:

• touch: The verb 'touch' does not fit grammatically as it does not indicate a relationship to the subject of national security.
• look: The verb 'look' does not convey any meaning related to the relationship and is too vague in this context.
• curtail: The verb 'curtail' means to limit or reduce, which does not fit as it does not indicate a relationship to national security.
• battling: The word 'battling' refers to an ongoing struggle, which does not convey the idea of relating to national security.
• sympathize: The verb 'sympathize' means to share feelings, which does not relate to the context of national security.
• concerned: The adjective 'concerned' describes a state of worry, which does not fit as it does not indicate a relationship to national security.