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Difficulty: MediumIdiomatic Word Choice

Despite the critical acclaim of her latest novel, the author remained largely indifferent for the public praise, choosing instead to focus on her next writing project.

Which of the following choices best replaces the underlined portion to maintain idiomatic word choice?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. indifferent toAnswer
  3. C
    indifferent with
  4. D
    indifferent of

Answer

indifferent to
The adjective 'indifferent' must be paired with the preposition 'to' when expressing a lack of interest, concern, or sympathy. Thus, 'indifferent to' is the idiomatically correct choice.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the underlined phrase and the word that requires a prepositional partner.
The adjective 'indifferent' is followed by the preposition 'for' in the passage.
To determine if the original phrasing is correct or if it needs to be changed.
2
Evaluate the idiomatic combination of 'indifferent' with the prepositions in the options.
The correct idiomatic preposition to pair with 'indifferent' is 'to'.
Idiomatic usage requires specific prepositions to be paired with certain adjectives; 'indifferent' always pairs with 'to' when indicating lack of interest or concern.

Key Concept

Idiomatic prepositions require memorizing which prepositions correctly pair with specific verbs, adjectives, or nouns.
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Topics

Idiomatic Word Choice

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