During the __ , when business was bad more than half the workers in the plastics factory were laid off. hypothetical constitute recession prerequisite

## Step 1<br />The problem is a fill-in-the-blank type question where we need to choose the most appropriate word from the given options to complete the sentence. The sentence is about a situation where more than half of the workers in a plastics factory were laid off due to bad business conditions.<br /><br />## Step 2<br />The word 'ecession' is the most suitable choice for this sentence. A recession is a period of economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced, generally identified by a fall in GDP in two successive quarters. This term fits the context of the sentence as it describes a period of bad business conditions.<br /><br />## Step 3<br />The other options 'hypothetical', 'constitute', and 'prerequisite' do not fit the context of the sentence. 'Hypothetical' refers to something that is based on possible ideas or situations rather than actual facts. 'Constitute' means to make up or form. 'Prerequisite' refers to something that is required as a prior condition for something else to happen or exist.