The man is so ill that he can . . . . . . . . walk.

The correct answer is A. hardly.

The word “hardly” means “almost not at all” or “with great difficulty”. In this case, the man is so ill that he

can barely walk. He may be able to take a few steps, but he will likely need help from someone else to get around.

The other options are not as accurate. The word “nearly” means “almost” or “very close to”. In this case, the man is not almost able to walk; he is barely able to walk. The word “quite” means “to a great extent” or “very”. In this case, the man is not able to walk to a great extent; he is only able to walk with

great difficulty. The word “rarely” means “not often” or “occasionally”. In this case, the man is not able to walk occasionally; he is only able to walk with great difficulty.