The correct answer is (A) “ban,” which is a verb in its base form. In the given sentence, the structure suggests that the subject (“the government”) is taking a decisive action, which is typically expressed using the base form of the verb when it follows a modal verb like “decided to.” Therefore, “ban” is the appropriate choice as it indicates the action the government has decided to implement.
(B) “Banned” is the past tense form of the verb “ban.” It would not be appropriate here because the sentence structure requires the base form of the verb following the phrase “decided to.”
(C) “Banning” is the present participle form of the verb “ban.” It could be used in different grammatical constructions, such as progressive tenses or as a gerund, but not in the infinitive form required by the sentence.
(D) “Bans” is the third person singular present tense form of the verb “ban.” It would be used if the subject of the sentence were performing the action in the present, which is not the case here.
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