Examkin

Question

Difficulty: Very hardPhrasal Verbs and Prepositional Verbs

Despite intense opposition from the factional leaders, the peace envoy eventually managed to prevail _______ the aggrieved parties to suspend their industrial action. Which of the following prepositions correctly completes the sentence?

  1. onAnswer
  2. B
    over
  3. C
    with
  4. D
    against

Answer

The preposition 'on' is correct because the prepositional verb 'prevail on' (or 'prevail upon') means to persuade or induce someone to take a specific action.
The prepositional verb 'prevail on' (or 'prevail upon') means to persuade or induce someone to do something. In the given sentence, the envoy successfully persuades the aggrieved parties to suspend their strike.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the contextual meaning of the sentence.
The sentence describes an action of persuading the aggrieved parties to suspend their industrial action.
Understanding the intended contextual meaning determines the correct particle selection.
2
Evaluate the semantic distinction between 'prevail on' and 'prevail over'.
'Prevail on' (or 'upon') signifies persuading or inducing someone, whereas 'prevail over' signifies defeating or overcoming an opponent.
Prepositional verbs frequently alter meaning depending on the accompanying preposition.
3
Select the preposition that accurately completes the verb structure.
'on' satisfies both grammatical precision and contextual sense.
It forms the established prepositional verb 'prevail on' followed by an object and infinitive clause.

Key Concept

Prepositional verb particle selection and semantic distinction between 'prevail on' (persuade) and 'prevail over' (triumph over).
Rate this question

Topics

Phrasal Verbs and Prepositional Verbs

More questions from this topic