Examkin

Question

Difficulty: Very hardPhrasal Verbs and Prepositional Verbs

In the legal brief presented to the appellate court, the advocate contended that the newly introduced compliance tariffs would severely __________ the operational expansion of small-scale enterprises. Which of the following options correctly completes the sentence?

  1. militate againstAnswer
  2. B
    mitigate against
  3. C
    militate with
  4. D
    mitigate for

Answer

militate against
The prepositional verb 'militate against' precisely conveys the meaning of acting as a strong force or factor against something (in this case, impeding the operational expansion of small-scale enterprises).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the contextual meaning of the gap in the sentence.
The sentence requires a verb structure meaning 'to hinder, work against, or serve as a strong factor preventing expansion'.
The context discusses restrictive tariffs impeding operational growth.
2
Evaluate the idiom and prepositional requirements of 'militate' versus 'mitigate'.
'Militate' takes the preposition 'against' to form the prepositional verb 'militate against' (meaning to hinder). 'Mitigate' means to lessen or soften (e.g., 'mitigate damages') and is used transitively without 'against'.
Conflating 'mitigate' with 'militate' is a frequent confusable error in formal English.
3
Select the correct option that satisfies both grammatical collocational rules and semantic intent.
'militate against' appropriately fills the blank.
It correctly combines the verb and particle to convey impediment.

Key Concept

Prepositional Verbs and Confusable Verbs (Militate against vs. Mitigate)
Estimated Time:1m 30s
Rate this question

Topics

Phrasal Verbs and Prepositional Verbs

More questions from this topic