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Difficulty: MediumPrepositions and Prepositional Phrases

Which prepositions correctly fill the blanks to complete the sentence below?

Answer:The regulatory board noted that the firm's administrative conduct was at variance 【with】 established policy, rendering its operational license incompatible 【with】 federal guidelines.

Answer

The correct prepositions for the blanks are 'with' for {{blank_1}} and 'with' for {{blank_2}}.
The fixed idiom 'at variance with' indicates a state of dispute or discrepancy. Additionally, the complement of the adjective 'incompatible' is governed by the preposition 'with'. Therefore, both blanks require 'with'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the required preposition for the fixed prepositional phrase 'at variance'.
The phrase takes 'with' (forming 'at variance with').
'At variance with' is an established prepositional collocation meaning in disagreement or conflict with something.
2
Determine the dependent preposition governed by the adjective 'incompatible'.
The adjective takes 'with' (forming 'incompatible with').
The adjective 'incompatible' strictly collocates with the preposition 'with' to denote inability to exist alongside another thing.

Key Concept

Prepositional phrases and dependent prepositions
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Topics

Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases

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