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Difficulty: Very hardFrequently Confused Words

In an effort to protect the endangered wetland habitat, the local conservation board voted to prescribe any commercial development within a two-mile radius of the estuary.

Which choice best fits the context of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. proscribeAnswer
  3. C
    proscribe against
  4. D
    subscribe to

Answer

The correct choice is 'proscribe'.
The correct choice is 'proscribe' because it means to forbid or ban, which fits the context of protecting the endangered wetland habitat. The verb is transitive and correctly takes the direct object 'any commercial development' without a preposition.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the context and the intended meaning of the underlined word.
The sentence describes a conservation board acting to protect a habitat by limiting commercial development. Therefore, the board wants to forbid or ban development.
Understanding the context allows us to determine the semantic role of the target word.
2
Evaluate the meaning of 'prescribe' versus 'proscribe'.
'Prescribe' means to recommend or establish a rule. 'Proscribe' means to outlaw, forbid, or ban.
Distinguishing between these frequently confused homophones is necessary to choose the word with the correct meaning.
3
Check for grammatical correctness and idiomatic usage.
The verb 'proscribe' is transitive and directly takes the noun phrase 'any commercial development' as its object. The preposition 'against' is unnecessary and ungrammatical.
Ensuring the chosen word fits the syntactic structure of the sentence is crucial for grammar assessment.

Key Concept

Frequently Confused Words
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