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Question

Difficulty: MediumIdiomatic Prepositions

Read the following sentence from an article on marine biology:

"In her study on deep-sea hydrothermal vent organisms, marine biologist Dr. Elena Vance observed that specialized heat-shock proteins rendered certain tube worm species virtually impervious for the scalding, mineral-rich fluids emitted by the vents."

Which choice is idiomatically correct for the underlined portion?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. impervious toAnswer
  3. C
    impervious with
  4. D
    impervious too

Answer

impervious to
The adjective 'impervious' idiomatically requires the preposition 'to' when indicating that something is unaffected or unharmed by an external factor. Therefore, the phrase 'impervious to' is the only option that adheres to standard English conventions.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the head word and the preposition being tested in the underlined portion.
The adjective is 'impervious' and it is currently paired with the preposition 'for'.
Standard written English requires specific prepositions to follow certain adjectives to create correct idiomatic expressions.
2
Select the correct idiomatic preposition that pairs with 'impervious'.
The correct idiomatic construction is 'impervious to'.
In standard English conventions, 'impervious' must be followed by 'to' when indicating that something cannot be penetrated, affected, or harmed by outside elements.

Key Concept

Idiomatic Prepositions with Adjectives
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Idiomatic Prepositions

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