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Difficulty: HardPhrasal Verbs and Prepositional Verbs

Despite initial resistance from members of the Senate, the Vice-Chancellor eventually managed to ________ the committee to approve the proposed curriculum review. Which prepositional verb correctly completes the sentence?

  1. A
    prevail over
  2. prevail onAnswer
  3. C
    prevail against
  4. D
    prevail with

Answer

The correct option is 'prevail on', as it means to successfully persuade someone to do something.
The verb 'prevail' combined with the preposition 'on' (or 'upon') forms a standard prepositional verb meaning to persuade or urge someone successfully into doing something. In the given sentence, the Vice-Chancellor persuaded the committee to approve the curriculum review.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the semantic context of the sentence stem.
The sentence describes an authority figure successfully convincing or persuading a committee to approve a proposal despite prior reluctance.
Identifying the target meaning (persuasion) is necessary to select the matching prepositional verb.
2
Distinguish between the particle complements of the verb 'prevail'.
'Prevail on' (or 'upon') means to persuade; 'prevail over' means to defeat or triumph over; 'prevail against' means to overcome resistance or enemies.
Prepositional verbs derive precise contextual meanings based on their particle selection.
3
Select the verb-preposition pair that matches the required meaning of persuasion.
'prevail on' is the only option that accurately expresses persuading a group to approve an action.
It fulfills both the grammatical requirements and the precise lexical meaning intended in standard British English.

Key Concept

Prepositional Verb Particle Selection and Contextual Meaning
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Topics

Phrasal Verbs and Prepositional Verbs

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