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Question

Difficulty: MediumIdiomatic Word Choice

Although most cats are highly sensitive to changes in their environment, some breeds seem completely indifferent of their owners' presence.

Which of the following choices represents the most appropriate idiomatic phrasing to replace the underlined portion?

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

Answer

indifferent to
The adjective 'indifferent' idiomatically requires the preposition 'to' when expressing a lack of interest, concern, or sympathy toward someone or something. Therefore, the phrase 'indifferent to' is the correct choice in this sentence.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the underlined portion and the word it modifies or connects with.
The underlined preposition 'of' follows the adjective 'indifferent'.
This establishes that the question is testing the idiomatic preposition collocation for the adjective 'indifferent'.
2
Recall or determine the correct idiomatic preposition that pairs with 'indifferent' to show lack of interest.
The correct idiom is 'indifferent to'.
English idioms require specific prepositions; 'indifferent' must be paired with 'to'.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the one that matches 'indifferent to'.
The option containing 'indifferent to' is correct, while other options use incorrect prepositions such as 'of', 'from', or 'with'.
Selecting the correct preposition resolves the idiomatic error in the sentence.

Key Concept

Idiomatic Preposition Usage
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Idiomatic Word Choice

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