In the following passage, some words have been left out. Read the passage carefully and select the correct answer for the given blank out of the four alternatives. Organisations are institutions in which members compete for status and power. They compete for the resources of the organisation, for example, resources to expand their own departments, for _____ advancement and for power to control the activities of others. Choose the most appropriate word to complete the blank: for _____ advancement.

Introduction / Context:
In this part of the cloze passage, the writer is describing different goals that members of an organisation struggle for internally. After mentioning resources to expand departments, the next goal is a type of advancement. You must select a word that naturally forms a common phrase with advancement and suits the organisational context.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Sentence: They compete for the resources of the organisation, for example, resources to expand their own departments, for _____ advancement and for power to control the activities of others.
• Options: career, financial, regional, technological.
• The passage deals with status, power, resources, and influence among organisational members.

Concept / Approach:
In office and organisational contexts, the phrase career advancement is very common. It refers to promotions, increased responsibilities, and higher positions in the hierarchy. The other adjectives in the options can also form phrases with advancement in some special contexts, but they are much less common in everyday language of workplace politics. Therefore, you should prefer the combination that sounds familiar and clearly linked to work life.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify that advancement refers to progress or promotion.Step 2: Recall common collocations: academic advancement, social advancement, career advancement.Step 3: Match the surrounding ideas: status, power, resources, and control all relate to professional progress in an organisation.Step 4: Insert career in the blank: for career advancement, which matches workplace ambitions.Step 5: Read the full phrase to check fluency: resources to expand departments, for career advancement and for power to control activities.Step 6: Confirm that this phrase is idiomatic and appropriate for the context.

Verification / Alternative check:
Read the full sentence: They compete for the resources of the organisation, for example, resources to expand their own departments, for career advancement and for power to control the activities of others. This sentence reads smoothly and mirrors real life situations where employees compete for promotions and higher positions. The link between career advancement and power to control others is particularly strong in organisational settings, reinforcing the choice of career.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Financial: Financial advancement would refer to economic growth or increased income, but the passage is speaking about broader competition inside the organisation, not only salary rises. Career advancement captures promotion and growth in role and influence better.
Regional: Regional advancement would refer to geographical expansion or improvement in a region, which does not match the internal organisational politics described.
Technological: Technological advancement is more suited to technological development or innovation, not directly to the ambitions of individual members within an organisation who seek higher status and control.

Common Pitfalls:
Some learners get attracted to advanced sounding adjectives like technological or financial, imagining that they automatically fit a formal passage. However, without considering common word pairings, this leads to incorrect answers. Another mistake is to ignore the parallel structure. The passage lists three types of things people compete for: resources, advancement, and power. In a workplace context, promotions and personal progress are naturally described as career advancement. Always test candidate words inside the full sentence and think of how the phrase is actually used in real professional English.

Final Answer:
The correct word to complete the phrase for _____ advancement is career, forming the familiar expression career advancement.