Sentence Completion

Dowry was historically most prevalent in conventional (arranged) marriages. The Dowry Prohibition Act (1961) banned this practice across all marriage types, making it illegal even in traditional arranged marriages.

Family planning helps control rapid population increase. Spurt suggests sudden growth, augmentation means adding to, and spread is too vague. Increase is the most appropriate term for sustained population growth.

Disputed means to argue about or doubt the validity of something. When a state disputes a commission's findings, it challenges their authority or conclusions. Rejected would mean complete refusal, questioned implies doubt, and objected suggests strong opposition - but disputed specifically captures the legal-political context of challenging findings.

The correct answer is 'worry' because it creates a meaningful contrast with 'desire'. The sentence suggests that kings, having power and wealth, have few things to desire, but they have many responsibilities and concerns that cause worry. 'Crave' and 'long' are too similar to 'desire', while 'apprehend' (meaning to arrest or understand) does not fit the context.

The correct answer is 'at' because 'shout at' is the correct phrasal verb when speaking angrily to someone. 'Shout to' would be used to get someone's attention, but the context 'at the top of his voice' combined with 'she did not hear' suggests he was directing his anger toward her. 'Against' and 'for' are not used with 'shout' in this context.

Regulate means to control something such as a resource. It is the correct asnwer in context with the passage.

The correct answer is 'fanned' because 'fan the fire' is an idiom meaning to make a fire stronger or more intense. A breeze adds oxygen to a fire, making it burn more intensely, which is why it 'made it more dangerous'. 'Blew' is too neutral, 'ignited' and 'lit' would mean starting a fire, not making an existing one worse.

The correct answer is 'minutes' based on the famous proverb 'Take care of the minutes, and the hours will take care of themselves' (attributed to Lord Chesterfield). This saying emphasizes time management - if you focus on using small time units well, larger time periods will naturally be productive. 'Days' and 'years' are too large, while 'seconds' is too small for practical time management.

The correct answer is 'tortuous' because it means twisting, winding, or complex. The context clues ('winding road', 'steep turn') describe the physical nature of the road. 'Tortuous' is often confused with 'torturous' (painful), but here it correctly describes the road's winding shape. 'Easy', 'fast', and 'slow' don't capture the winding nature.

The correct answer is 'dark' because 'a leap in the dark' is an idiom meaning to take a risk without knowing what the outcome will be. The context mentions investing 'all his savings' and 'risk', which perfectly matches this idiom. 'Abyss', 'light', and 'hole' don't form standard idioms in this context.

The correct answer is 'China' because 'bull in a china shop' is a well-known idiom describing a clumsy person in a delicate situation. The context mentions someone 'knocking over things', which is exactly what a bull would do in a shop selling delicate porcelain (china). 'English', 'cattle', and 'grocery' don't complete this idiom.

The correct answer is 'file' because 'rank and file' is an idiom meaning ordinary members of an organization (as opposed to leaders/officials). The context mentions party members turning against their leader, which perfectly describes ordinary members opposing leadership. This comes from military formations where soldiers stood in ranks (lines) and files (columns).

The correct answer is 'deep' because 'deep trouble' is the most natural and common collocation. While 'intense trouble' and 'terrible trouble' are grammatically possible, 'deep trouble' is the standard idiomatic expression. 'Dreaded trouble' is less common. The context suggests serious consequences after being caught doing something wrong.

The correct answer is 'blames' based on the well-known proverb 'A bad workman blames his tools'. This means that incompetent people tend to blame external factors (tools, circumstances, others) instead of accepting their own shortcomings. 'Works', 'plays', and 'fights' don't make sense in this proverbial context.

The correct answer is 'banned' because it means officially prohibited, which fits the disciplinary context for team members with 'bad conduct'. 'Exempted' means excused from a requirement, which is the opposite of punishment. 'Excluded' could technically work but is less specific than 'banned' for sports disciplinary actions. 'Outlawed' typically refers to making something illegal by law, not team discipline.

The correct answer is 'for' because 'compensation for' is the correct preposition when money is paid to make up for loss, damage, or injury. The government is paying 'for' (to make up for) the damaged crops, land, and cattle. 'To' would indicate the recipient, not the reason. 'Through' and 'of' don't fit the context of paying for damages.

The wheel was already loose means not firmly or tightly attached. In the sentence context, we need an adjective to describe the state of the wheel. "Lose" is a verb meaning to fail to keep or to misplace, which doesn't fit grammatically. "Loose" is the correct adjective form describing something not secure or tight.

Undeveloped economies face massive, overwhelming challenges like poverty, lack of infrastructure, and limited resources. "Enormous" means very large in size, quantity, or extent, which perfectly captures the scale and severity of these systemic problems. The other options don't convey this sense of magnitude.

The metaphor compares a writer to a spider spinning a web - both create intricate structures to capture their subjects (ideas for the writer, prey for the spider). "Spins" is the correct verb because spiders spin webs, maintaining the metaphor's logic. The creatures in the web represent ideas or characters that lack substance.

The use of "even" here suggests something unexpected or surprising about the head of department's behavior. While professors might be expected to be strict or harsh, this one was "kind, even friendly" - going beyond mere kindness to approachability. "Friendly" creates a logical progression from "kind" and completes the contrast.

A "posse" historically refers to a group of people summoned by a sheriff or authority to help maintain law and order. The other options don't fit as precisely: "force" is too general, "battalion" is a military unit, and "cover" doesn't make sense in this context. The magistrate would send a posse to handle disturbances.

"Rival" means to equal or match someone in achievement or quality, often in competition. The sentence means few countries can equal or compete with India's variety, color, and richness in dance forms. "Prevail" means to be dominant, "depict" means to portray, and "perform" doesn't fit the comparative context.

After "lest" (meaning "to avoid the risk of"), we use a structure indicating something bad happening. "Tampered with" means interfered with or altered without authorization, which fits records that could be fraudulently changed. The other options are either less precise or don't convey the specific meaning of unauthorized alteration.

A "cloistered" life refers to one that is secluded, sheltered, or confined - like living in a monastery or being overly protected. After 40 years of such sheltered existence, a person would lack experience in making independent decisions. The other options (happy, successful, safe) don't explain why someone can't make independent decisions.

The correct preposition after "impressed" is "with" when talking about being impressed by the quality or standard of something. We say "impressed with" the quality, program, or performance. While "impressed by" and "impressed at" exist in different contexts, this sentence specifically requires "with" for grammatical correctness.