Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions fro...

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 23 to 32.

China’s private tutoring sector is experiencing a cautious but noticeable revival three years after the government’s sweeping “double reduction” campaign sharply curtailed after-school education services. According to executives, parents, and analysts interviewed by Reuters, regulators are now adopting a more flexible stance. There has been no formal acknowledgement of a change in policy. But there is now tacit consent from policymakers to allow the tutoring industry to grow. This more permissive environment appears to align with the government’s broader economic priorities, especially its need to stimulate job creation and stabilize a flagging economy.

[I] Tutoring companies are once again advertising in-person and online classes, recruiting teachers, and receiving more consistent regulatory guidance. [II] New instructions from national ministries specify which types of off-campus training are permissible, with a particular focus on non-core subjects such as arts, sports, and general thinking skills. [III] Simultaneously, inspections have become less aggressive, and communication between companies and local officials has improved, shifting from punitive measures to a more compliance- oriented approach. [IV]

Importantly, the industry’s reappearance is not solely the result of easing regulations. Throughout the crackdown, tutoring never fully disappeared. Many providers adapted by redesigning their courses, operating under adjusted subject labels, shifting to individualized formats, or targeting extracurricular fields that remained legal. Parents, particularly in major cities, continued to seek supplementary education because academic pressure and university competition persisted. This acted as a quiet current beneath the surface, supporting the sector even during its most restricted period.

Even with renewed growth, the industry’s recovery remains tightly controlled. Officials maintain that tutoring must not reproduce high-pressure academic environments or impose heavy financial burdens on families. As a result, companies must expand carefully to avoid triggering renewed scrutiny. Analysts note that the government views the regulated revival as potentially useful for addressing youth unemployment and supporting innovation in the broader education sector. Consequently, China’s private tutoring industry appears to be entering a new phase characterized by measured growth, clearer oversight, and continued negotiation between market needs and state expectations.

Question 23. The word “curtailed” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ____________.

A. facilitated                B. constrained                        C. intensified                        D. mitigated