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Difficulty: Very hardPrepositions and Prepositional Phrases

During the senate hearing, the constitutional lawyer argued that the executive order issued by the governor was directly subversive _____ the statutory powers reserved exclusively for the legislature.

Which of the following prepositions correctly completes the sentence?

  1. ofAnswer
  2. B
    to
  3. C
    against
  4. D
    with

Answer

The correct preposition is 'of'.
In standard formal English, the adjective 'subversive' takes the dependent preposition 'of' when denoting an action, law, or policy that tends to subvert or weaken authority.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the target head word preceding the blank space.
The target word is the formal adjective 'subversive'.
Specific adjectives in English mandate fixed dependent prepositions to complete their prepositional phrase complement.
2
Determine the standard dependent preposition required by 'subversive'.
The adjective 'subversive' takes the preposition 'of' in standard usage.
Standard legal and formal English conventions prescribe the construction 'subversive of' (meaning tending to overthrow or destroy).
3
Insert the selected preposition into the sentence to verify grammatical correctness and meaning.
'...was directly subversive of the statutory powers...'
The preposition 'of' correctly forms the prepositional phrase requirement for 'subversive'.

Key Concept

Dependent Prepositions following Formal Adjectives
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases

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