Fill in the Blanks

'Deranged' means mentally disturbed, unhinged, or insane. Tommy was mentally disturbed and taken to a mental hospital. 'Vivacious' means lively/energetic, 'terse' means brief, 'arranged' means organized, and 'canonized' means declared a saint.

To 'doff' means to remove an item of clothing, especially a hat, as a gesture of respect. Juniors removing their hats before senior officers is a traditional etiquette practice. The other options are incorrect: shrill means high-pitched, jeopardy means danger, livid means furious, and smirk means a smug smile.

A furor is an outbreak of public anger, excitement, or controversy. Creating a furor at long processions and formal meetings would indeed be undesirable as it disrupts order. The other options don't fit: hush means silence, ravenous means extremely hungry, zealot is a fanatic, and agile means nimble.

To 'cordon off' means to seal off an area with barriers or tape for security or safety reasons. Police cordoning off an area with a bomb threat is standard procedure. The other options are incorrect: compassion is sympathy, shove up doesn't fit, contemplated means thought about, and coup off isn't a standard phrase.

When a bomb 'goes off,' it means it explodes or detonates. This is the correct phrasal verb for describing bomb explosions. The other options are incorrect: come by means obtain, stand by means wait, put in means submit, and fanned out means spread out.

To 'curb' means to restrain, limit, or control something. An alcoholic would need to curb (control) their drinking habit. The other options don't fit: spurge isn't a common verb, hike means increase, sneer means look with contempt, and quirk is a peculiar feature.

To 'dash off' means to write something quickly or hastily. Dashing off a terse letter due to lack of time is exactly what this phrasal verb describes. The other options don't fit: smashed, bashed, and slugged are violent physical actions, and malevolence is a noun meaning ill will.

To 'contravene' means to violate, go against, or infringe upon a law, rule, or agreement. Anyone who contravenes the law must indeed be punished. The other options: contradicts means opposes in logic, counters means opposes, convoys means accompanies for protection, and wane means diminish.

To 'demote' means to reduce someone to a lower rank or position. An officer being demoted to clerk level rank is a straightforward use of this term. The other options are incorrect: looted means plundered, loomed means appeared indistinctly, and derailed means thrown off course.

'Ten minutes to seven' (6:50) is the standard English expression for time before the hour, using the preposition 'to'. When indicating minutes before the hour, 'to' is the correct preposition. 'In', 'out', 'off', and 'of' are not used with minutes in this temporal context.

'In time' is the correct idiomatic expression meaning punctually or at the arranged time. The phrase 'come in time' means arriving when expected or before it's too late. Other prepositions like 'at time', 'for time', 'on time', or 'with time' are not standard collocations in this context.

'Shout at' is the correct preposition when expressing anger or directing speech aggressively toward someone. While 'shout to' exists for getting attention, 'shout at' conveys confrontation or anger. The context of telling someone to 'get out of his way' suggests aggression, making 'at' the appropriate choice.

'On fire' is the correct idiomatic expression for something that is burning or in flames. The phrase uses the preposition 'on' to indicate the state of being aflame. 'At fire', 'in fire', 'of fire', and 'from fire' are not standard English expressions for describing something that is burning.

'By rickshaw' is the correct preposition when indicating mode of transportation. 'By' is used with various means of transport (by bus, by train, by car, by rickshaw). 'In rickshaw', 'on rickshaw', 'at rickshaw', and 'off rickshaw' are not standard expressions for describing travel using this transport.

'Get off' is the correct phrasal verb meaning to dismount or leave a vehicle, cycle, or seat. The context of getting off a cycle and sitting elsewhere clearly indicates dismounting. 'Get on' would mean the opposite (to mount), while 'get at', 'get in', and 'get with' don't convey the meaning of leaving a cycle.