In the passage, choose the correct word to complete the sentence: "...they connect to compressed reservoirs of intense ________________."

Introduction / Context:
This question completes the final blank of the passage about national symbols. The line is: "National symbols are extremely powerful because they connect to compressed reservoirs of intense ________________." You must choose the noun that best fits both the psychology related meaning and the collocation with "intense".

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Partial sentence: "compressed reservoirs of intense ______".
• The topic is national symbols and how they work on people's minds.
• Options: "compassion", "empathy", "emotion", "elation", "remorse".
• The author is describing something stored inside people that symbols tap into.

Concept / Approach:
In psychology and political theory, symbols are often said to tap into deep "emotions" or "emotional reservoirs" connected with identity, pride, fear, or loyalty. The broad, collective term for such feelings is "emotion". The phrase "intense emotion" is a very common collocation. The other options each name a specific emotion (compassion, empathy, elation, remorse) or a particular type, not the general concept. The sentence is clearly about the general emotional power of symbols, not one specific feeling.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Interpret "compressed reservoirs" as deep, stored-up psychological energies in people.Step 2: Note that national symbols can evoke pride, anger, sorrow, and many other feelings.Step 3: Therefore, the word needed must be broad enough to cover all such feelings.Step 4: Among the options, "emotion" is the only generic term that includes all types of feelings.Step 5: Fit it into the sentence: "reservoirs of intense emotion" which is both natural and commonly used in English.

Verification / Alternative check:
Read the sentence with "emotion": "they connect to compressed reservoirs of intense emotion." This matches the standard way of describing the emotional power of symbols. If you insert "compassion" or "empathy", you limit the meaning to kindness or understanding, which is too narrow. "Elation" refers specifically to joy, while national symbols may also evoke grief or anger. Thus, only "emotion" captures the full range implied by the passage.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• compassion: Refers to sympathy or pity, but national symbols are not limited to compassionate feelings.
• empathy: Means understanding others' feelings from their perspective; again too narrow and not the usual collocation with "national symbols".
• elation: Means great happiness; symbols may cause elation sometimes but also many other feelings.
• remorse: Means deep regret or guilt; not the general category the author is discussing.

Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates overthink and try to choose a "deep sounding" word instead of the simple and general one. In reading comprehension and cloze tests, the simplest broad term is often correct when the context suggests a wide range of possibilities. Here, "emotion" is precisely that broad term and fits perfectly with "intense".

Final Answer:
The correct word is emotion, giving the phrase "compressed reservoirs of intense emotion".