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Difficulty: HardPrepositions and Prepositional Phrases

During the corporate restructuring process, the parent company was strongly advised to divest itself _______ all unprofitable subsidiaries to avert imminent liquidation. Which preposition correctly fills the blank space in the sentence?

  1. A
    from
  2. ofAnswer
  3. C
    off
  4. D
    with

Answer

The preposition 'of' correctly completes the sentence.
The verb 'divest' strictly requires the dependent preposition 'of' when used to mean stripping, dispossessing, or riding oneself of property, authority, or assets.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the main verb and predicate structure requiring a dependent preposition.
The verb in question is 'divest' used reflexively ('divest itself').
Certain verbs in English require specific dependent prepositions to complete their meaning.
2
Determine the standard prepositional collocation for the verb 'divest'.
The established grammatical structure is 'divest [someone/something] of [something]'.
'Divest' means to deprive, dispossess, or sell off, and traditionally governs the preposition 'of'.
3
Evaluate the options against standard formal usage.
Only 'of' forms a standard, correct prepositional phrase with 'divest'.
Substitutions like 'from' or 'off' stem from literal transfer errors or incorrect analogies with verbs like 'separate from'.

Key Concept

Dependent prepositions governing verbs of dispossessing and relinquishment
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Topics

Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases

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