Answer:
Lacking people or things.
Step-by-step explanation:
The simple definition of the word "desolate" is "empty", "alone", "uninhibited", "isolated" etc. among others. So, we can know or infer that it is used in the negative term.
Now, considering the given sentence, "[T]he desolate city looked like an empty desert after the car plant shut down", the nest definition or implication for the word "desolate" will be "lacking people or things". This means that the city looked devoid of any human presence after the car plant was shut down.
Thus, the correct answer is the first option.