Question

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate option.
Although the administration repeatedly threatened to use its authority in order to _____ the student protestors into submission, they refused to be intimidated.
a) Ease
b) Delude
c) Nudge
d) Bully

Answer 1

Hint: The verb in the first part of the sentence is a clue as to how the authorities were treating the student protestors. The word ‘threatened’ is used to refer to ‘state one's intention to take hostile action against (someone) in retribution for something done or not done’. This should help you to pick out the correct answer.

Complete answer:
An infinitive is formed from a verb but doesn’t act as a verb. It acts as either a noun, adjective, or adverb. It is constructed in the following way: to + verb. These two words together act as an infinitive. Infinitives are a form of non-finite verb, meaning they are not subject to change.

In the given sentence, it is very clear that the sentence is trying to tell us that the administration abused its authority and tried to threaten the student protestors. This means that the authorities were trying to force the students into submission. This information will help us to pick out the correct option.

Now we know exactly what we are looking for. Let’s look at the given options:

ease - The word ‘ease’ refers to ‘make (something unpleasant or intense) less serious or severe’. This word does not fit into the context of the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
delude - The word ‘delude’ refers to ‘make (someone) believe something that is not true’. This word does not fit into the context of the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
nudge - The word ‘nudge’ refers to ‘prod (someone) gently with one's elbow in order to attract attention'. This word does not fit into the context of the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
bully - The word ‘bully’ refers to ‘seek to harm, intimidate, or coerce (someone perceived as vulnerable)’. This word does fit perfectly into the context of the given sentence. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.

Note:
Try to understand the context of the given sentence and look through the given options. Differentiate between each of the options as they have a big difference. Choose the most appropriate option i.e. the option that fits best in the given sentence.