In the following sentence completion question, choose the verb that best completes the sentence in standard English: "A large crowd ____________ to get a glimpse of their favourite star."

Introduction / Context:
This question tests vocabulary and collocation, that is, the natural combination of words in English. The sentence describes a common situation where many people come together in one place to see a famous person. You must select the verb that fits both the meaning and the usual patterns of English usage with the noun "crowd".

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The subject is "a large crowd".
• The purpose is "to get a glimpse of their favourite star".
• We need a verb in the past tense that describes people coming together.
• The sentence describes a typical public gathering, not a formal protest or a technical activity.

Concept / Approach:
Certain verbs naturally go together with certain nouns. The expression "a crowd gathered" is a very common collocation, used to describe people coming together in a place. While verbs like "clustered" or "rallied" can also refer to groups, they have specific shades of meaning. "Rallied" often refers to political meetings or protests, and "compiled" is used for collecting information or documents, not people. Therefore, we choose the verb that is most natural and commonly used with "crowd" in this context.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the general meaning of the sentence: many people came together to see someone famous. Step 2: Recall commonly used phrases: "a crowd gathered", "people gathered at the gate", and similar expressions. Step 3: Compare "gathered" with "rallied": "rallied" suggests organised political activity or support campaigns. Step 4: Compare "gathered" with "clustered": "clustered" suggests small groups huddling closely, and is less natural with "a large crowd" in this context. Step 5: Reject "compiled", which relates to data or documents, not crowds of people.

Verification / Alternative check:
Read the completed sentence: "A large crowd gathered to get a glimpse of their favourite star." This sounds natural and is frequently used in news reports and everyday descriptions. Substituting other options gives less natural or incorrect sentences, such as "A large crowd compiled", which is clearly wrong. Therefore, "gathered" is the best and most idiomatic choice.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option b: "rallied" is mostly used for organised events like political rallies or campaigns, which is not stated here. Option c: "clustered" suggests a group huddling closely together, often in small numbers, and does not fit well with "a large crowd" in this general sense. Option d: "compiled" means collected or put together information or data, and cannot grammatically or logically describe a crowd.

Common Pitfalls:
Candidates may focus only on dictionary meanings without considering typical usage patterns. It is important to read English newspapers and books to absorb natural collocations. When in doubt, ask yourself which combination you have actually seen or heard in real life English, such as "a crowd gathered" versus "a crowd compiled".

Final Answer:
The correct verb is gathered.