Meaning: 'Survivors' refers to people who have recovered from smallpox and are immune to it.

Wrong options:

• predators: 'Predators' refers to animals that hunt other animals, which is unrelated to the context of disease and immunity.
• fatalism: 'Fatalism' is a philosophical concept about the inevitability of events, which does not fit the context of discussing individuals affected by smallpox.
• sheltered: 'Sheltered' is an adjective describing protection from harm, which does not refer to individuals who have survived a disease.
• provided: 'Provided' is a verb that does not fit as a noun in this context, as it does not refer to people.
• common: 'Common' is an adjective that describes frequency, not a noun that refers to individuals.
• fatalities: 'Fatalities' refers to deaths caused by the disease, which does not fit as it does not describe those who survived.

Correct answer: provided

Explanation: The verb 'provided' fits grammatically as it indicates the action of giving immunity. It aligns contextually with the sentence, which discusses the outcome of variolation in terms of immunity.

Meaning: 'Provided' means to supply or make available, in this case, immunity from smallpox.

Wrong options:

• survivors: 'Survivors' is a noun and does not fit grammatically as a verb in this context.
• predators: 'Predators' is unrelated to the context of immunity and does not fit grammatically.
• fatalism: 'Fatalism' does not fit as it is a noun that does not relate to the action of providing immunity.
• sheltered: 'Sheltered' is an adjective that does not convey the action of giving immunity.
• common: 'Common' is an adjective that does not fit as a verb in this context.
• fatalities: 'Fatalities' is a noun that refers to deaths, which does not fit the action of providing immunity.

Correct answer: common

Explanation: The adjective 'common' fits grammatically as it describes the frequency of the practice of variolation. It is contextually appropriate as it indicates that variolation was widely practiced by the 1700s.

Meaning: 'Common' means something that is frequent or widely accepted.

Wrong options:

• provided: 'Provided' is a verb that does not fit as an adjective to describe the practice of variolation.
• predators: 'Predators' is unrelated to the context and does not describe the practice of variolation.
• fatalism: 'Fatalism' does not fit as it is a noun and does not describe the frequency of a practice.
• sheltered: 'Sheltered' is an adjective that does not relate to the commonality of a practice.
• survivors: 'Survivors' is a noun that does not fit as an adjective in this context.
• fatalities: 'Fatalities' is a noun that refers to deaths, which does not describe the practice of variolation.

Correct answer: fatalities

Explanation: The noun 'fatalities' fits grammatically as it refers to the number of deaths caused by smallpox. It is contextually relevant as it discusses the impact of variolation on reducing deaths from the disease.

Meaning: 'Fatalities' refers to deaths resulting from smallpox infections.

Wrong options:

• provided: 'Provided' is a verb that does not fit as a noun in this context, as it does not refer to deaths.
• predators: 'Predators' is unrelated to the context of smallpox and does not fit grammatically.
• fatalism: 'Fatalism' does not fit as it is a philosophical concept and does not relate to the number of deaths.
• sheltered: 'Sheltered' is an adjective that does not refer to deaths and does not fit in this context.
• survivors: 'Survivors' refers to those who lived through the disease, which does not fit as it does not describe deaths.
• common: 'Common' is an adjective that does not fit as a noun in this context.