Question

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word.
The peasant’s produce was _______ in lieu of his previous year’s rent.
a) quelled
b) mobbed
c) vanquished
d) captured
e) confiscated

Answer 1

Hint: The question to ask for the answer is ‘what will happen to the product because of his missed rent?’. The answer to that question will give you the correct answer.

Complete answer:
 In the given sentence, there is one blank. That blank is to be filled with a verb, as the verb is missing from the given sentence. In order to understand what we need to fill the blank with, we need to understand the meaning of the sentence.

Let us deconstruct the sentence first. The given sentence begins by telling us that something happened to the peasant’s produce. After the blank, it tells us that the produce was taken in place of the previous year’s rent, meaning that it was taken as a replacement for the rent that the peasant failed to pay. So, we need to find an accurate replacement for ‘taken away’.

Now, we know what we are looking for. Let’s look at the given options-
a) quelled - The word ‘quelled’ refers to ‘put an end to (a rebellion or other disorder), typically by the use of force’. This word has a very different meaning to the phrase ‘taken away’. This does not fit into the context of the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
b) mobbed - The word ‘mobbed’ refers to ‘crowd round (someone) or into (a place) in an unruly way'. This word has a very different meaning to the phrase ‘taken away’. This does not fit into the context of the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
c) vanquished - The word ‘vanquished’ refers to ‘defeat thoroughly'. This word has a very different meaning to the phrase ‘taken away’. This does not fit into the context of the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
d) captured - The word ‘captured’ refers to ‘to take someone as a prisoner, or to take something into your possession, especially by force'. This word has a very different meaning to the phrase ‘taken away’. This does not fit into the context of the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
e) confiscated - The word ‘confiscated’ refers to ‘(of property) taken or seized with authority'. This word has the exact same meaning as the phrase ‘taken away’. This fits perfectly into the context of the given sentence. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.

Note:
 Choose the most appropriate option given the context of the sentence. Make sure all the meanings are aligning with each other and work with each other perfectly.