Fill in the Blanks

Bring up means to introduce or raise a topic for discussion. The sentence suggests that now is not the appropriate time to raise or introduce that particular subject. Bring out means to reveal, bring off means to accomplish something difficult, and bring past is not a standard phrasal verb.

Clash means to conflict or disagree strongly. When the government and opposition disagree on an issue like unemployment, they clash. Clutch means to grasp tightly, click means to make a clicking sound, and chuckle means to laugh quietly - none of which make sense for political disagreement.

Brush past means to pass someone quickly and casually, making light contact. The sentence describes someone moving past another person without speaking. Brush off means to dismiss or ignore, brush out means to clean, and brush up means to improve something.

Brush off means to dismiss, reject, or ignore someone casually. The sentence describes a woman consistently rejecting a man's romantic interest. Brush out means to clean, brush past means to pass by quickly, and brush up means to improve or refresh knowledge.

Cling means to hold onto something tightly or refuse to give it up, often used with hope or beliefs. When someone maintains hope in difficult circumstances, they cling to that hope. Clutch means to grasp, click means to make a sound, and chuckle means to laugh.

Abandon means to leave behind completely or give up on someone or something. Lucy deciding to abandon her child means she is leaving the child behind. Abaft is a nautical term meaning toward the rear, abeyance means temporary suspension, and abase means to humble or degrade.

Abeyance means a state of temporary disuse or suspension. When activities are in abeyance, they are temporarily paused or suspended. The sentence describes industrial activities being suspended due to power failure. Abstruse means hard to understand, abandon means to leave, and abase means to humble.

Aberrant means deviating from what is normal or expected. His unusual or abnormal behavior is causing his friends to worry about the impact of the divorce. Abaft means toward the rear (nautical), abrupt means sudden or brusque, and abstruse means difficult to understand.

Abject means utter, complete, or hopeless - often used with poverty or misery. Abject poverty means completely hopeless or wretched poverty. Abase means to humble or degrade, abjure means to renounce an oath or belief, and aberrant means deviating from normal.

Abnegation means self-denial or renunciation of desires and rights. The woman's laughing after her loss shows she's consciously giving up her worries rather than dwelling on them. Abstinence refers to self-restraint (usually from indulgences), accolade is an honor, and accrue means to accumulate.

Abridged means shortened or condensed while keeping the main content. Editors abridge stories to make them more concise and readable. Abjured means renounced an oath, absconded means escaped, and abdicated means relinquished power.

Abstinence is the practice of restraining from indulging in something, often food or drink. Athletes often practice abstinence from certain foods to maintain their diet. Abeyance means temporary suspension, abnegation is self-denial, and accolade is praise.

Absolve means to free someone from guilt, blame, or responsibility. The brothers forgave each other for their past arguments. Abdicate means to give up power, accrued means accumulated, and abominated means hated.

Abhor means to hate or detest intensely. The tense jaw when he walks in indicates strong negative emotion toward him. Abase means to humble, abject is hopelessly submissive, and abstruse means hard to understand.

 Avoid is the correct choice because it signifies what it would do if faced with the other team. Abdicate is not correct because the team would need to be in a championship spot, furthermore it is rarely used outside of royalty. Abandon is incorrect because this would suggest that the two teams are working together towards a common goal. Abjure is incorrect because abjure means to renounce such as an oath and there is no indication to this in the sentence.