Since 1960 U.S. banks have __________ the proportion of their total lending which is done overseas.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The word "since" indicates that we are talking about a change over time. The phrase "reduced to near zero" implies a significant decrease, which is not supported by the question stem. The phrase "held nearly constant" indicates no significant change, which again is not supported by the question stem. The phrase "scaled back" implies a decrease, but it is not clear how significant that decrease is. The word "increased" is the only option that indicates a clear trend of growth over time, which is supported by the question stem. Therefore, the correct answer is D.