hardly and scarcely etc

[jiang]

Dear teachers,

I have two questions to ask:

No.1
What's the difference between 'hardly' and 'scarcely'. Can I replace 'hardly' in the following sentence with 'scarcely'?
We had hardly begun when we were told to stop.

No.2
She was glad that her success would __ for the women who would follow.
a. make things easier b. make it easier
The key is "a' but I can't see the difference. Could you please explain it to me?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you in advance.

Jiang

[Tdol]

1- Yes
2- If anything, the use of 'things' is broader that b), but I can't see anything wrong with b).

[jiang]

Now I see.

Jiang

1- Yes
2- If anything, the use of 'things' is broader that b), but I can't see anything wrong with b).