In this passage about Bhagat Singh and the Defence of India Act, choose the option that best completes the blank: It was a carefully laid out _________, not to cause death or injury but to attract the attention of the government.

Introduction / Context:
This English passage based question is taken from a historical context involving Bhagat Singh and the Defence of India Act. The narrative explains that Bhagat Singh planned an event in the Central Legislative Assembly in order to send a political message rather than to cause physical harm. The blank tests whether the learner can choose the most appropriate word for a carefully designed political action, keeping in mind both meaning and tone.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The sentence reads: It was a carefully laid out _________, not to cause death or injury but to attract the attention of the government.• Four options are given: scam, trick, trap, plot.• The action was political and revolutionary, designed to send a strong message.• The passage itself treats Bhagat Singh as a serious revolutionary, not as a petty cheat.

Concept / Approach:
The correct word must capture the idea of a serious, deliberate political plan. In English, plot often refers to a secret plan, especially one designed to bring about a political change or protest. Scam usually refers to a dishonest scheme to cheat people of money. Trick normally means a small deception or prank. Trap focuses on catching someone unsuspectingly, usually to harm or accuse that person. The overall tone of the passage requires a word that suggests organised planning for a cause, which points towards plot rather than the other options.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Note the phrase carefully laid out, which emphasises planning and organisation.Step 2: Observe the purpose: not to cause death or injury but to attract the attention of the government, which is clearly political and ideological.Step 3: Compare each option. Scam focuses on cheating for money, which does not fit a freedom struggle context.Step 4: Trick sounds too light and playful for an act described in a serious historical passage.Step 5: Trap highlights catching someone, whereas the aim here is to send a message and court arrest openly.Step 6: Plot accurately conveys a secret or strategic political plan, which matches the description of Bhagat Singh volunteering to throw a bomb and then surrender.

Verification / Alternative check:
If we insert each option into the sentence, only plot preserves the serious tone. It was a carefully laid out scam suggests Bhagat Singh wanted to cheat people, which is completely wrong. It was a carefully laid out trick makes the event sound like a prank. It was a carefully laid out trap implies the main goal was to catch someone, which the passage does not mention. It was a carefully laid out plot reads naturally in political and historical writing and agrees with the act of throwing a bomb without the intention to kill.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Scam is associated with financial fraud and dishonest money making schemes, which does not match a revolutionary protest against colonial rule. Trick refers to a simple deception or magic style action and does not convey the gravity of a planned assembly bombing. Trap suggests that someone else was being lured into danger, but the passage describes Bhagat Singh and his comrade choosing to court arrest themselves. None of these carry the connotation of a serious political plan that plot carries.

Common Pitfalls:
Students may be tempted by trick because of the idea of drawing attention, but that underestimates the seriousness of the incident. Others may think of trap because police and arrests are mentioned, but again the text focuses on protest, not ambush. A good strategy in such questions is to feel the overall tone of the passage and choose the option whose usual usage fits that tone and context.

Final Answer:
The most appropriate word to fill the blank is plot.