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Difficulty: HardPhrasal Verbs and Prepositional Verbs

During the investigative hearing, the panel auditor warned that the board could not simply __________ the systematic financial irregularities uncovered in the administrative records. Which of the following phrasal verbs best completes the sentence?

  1. gloss overAnswer
  2. B
    gloss off
  3. C
    explain off
  4. D
    smooth out

Answer

The phrasal verb 'gloss over' correctly completes the sentence.
The phrasal verb 'gloss over' means to treat something unpleasant, wrong, or embarrassing as if it were insignificant, or to deliberately refrain from dealing with it in detail. In the given sentence, it precisely fits the scenario of a board trying to minimize systematic financial irregularities.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the context of the sentence to identify the intended meaning of the missing expression.
The context describes an auditor warning a board against treating serious financial irregularities as unimportant or trying to ignore them.
Determining contextual requirements helps eliminate options with mismatched definitions.
2
Evaluate the idiomatic meaning and particle pairing of each option against standard usage.
'Gloss over' is a standard phrasal verb meaning to treat something serious in a superficial way to make it seem acceptable. 'Gloss off' and 'explain off' are non-standard structures, and 'smooth out' means settling minor differences.
JAMB UTME tests precise particle selection and subtle contextual distinctions.

Key Concept

Phrasal Verbs and Prepositional Verbs - Contextual Meaning and Particle Selection
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Phrasal Verbs and Prepositional Verbs

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