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Difficulty: MediumPrepositions and Prepositional Phrases

Which preposition correctly completes the fixed prepositional phrase in the sentence below?

Answer:The newly proposed civil service policy is completely at variance 【with】 the existing constitutional provisions regarding workers' rights.

Answer

The correct preposition to complete the blank is 'with'.
The fixed prepositional phrase 'at variance with' is an established idiom meaning to be in disagreement or inconsistency with something. Therefore, 'with' is the precise and correct word required.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the multi-word prepositional idiom being used in the sentence structure.
The sentence uses the idiomatic construction 'at variance', which signifies conflict, contradiction, or disagreement.
Recognizing fixed idiomatic collocations is necessary to select the correct complementing preposition.
2
Select the standard dependent preposition required by 'at variance'.
The standard English idiom is strictly 'at variance with'.
'With' is the only grammatically acceptable preposition that collocates with 'at variance' when specifying the item being contradicted.

Key Concept

Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases: Fixed Idiomatic Collocations
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Topics

Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases

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