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 _____ . 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. Choose the most appropriate word to complete the blank: status and _____.

Introduction / Context:
This question is from a cloze passage that discusses how people behave within organisations. It focuses on competition inside institutions such as companies, government departments, or other formal bodies. The sentence given asks you to identify the most suitable noun that collocates with status to describe what members are competing for. Good cloze questions test both vocabulary knowledge and the ability to sense natural English combinations and logical meaning.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Sentence: Organisations are institutions in which members compete for status and _____ .
• Options: growth, money, power, success.
• Context: competition for various advantages inside an organisation, including later examples like resources, expansion, career advancement, and power to control others.
• The phrase status and something is a common idiomatic pairing in English.

Concept / Approach:
To answer cloze passage questions, you must pay attention both to common word partnerships and to the broader theme. Inside organisations, people usually compete not only for social position or status but also for influence or control. The phrase status and power is a frequent collocation in discussions of organisational behaviour, politics, or social hierarchy. The chosen word should fit both grammatically and logically and should also connect naturally with the sentences that follow in the passage.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Note that status refers to rank or social standing within the organisation.Step 2: Think of what typically accompanies status in discussions of internal politics. Common pairs are status and power or status and prestige.Step 3: Review the rest of the passage, which mentions resources, department expansion, career advancement, and power to control the activities of others.Step 4: See that control over activities of others is clearly linked to the idea of power.Step 5: Recognise that status and power together summarise both symbolic standing and real influence inside an organisation.Step 6: Conclude that power is the most appropriate word for the blank.

Verification / Alternative check:
A quick verification method is to read the completed sentence aloud: Organisations are institutions in which members compete for status and power. Then read the continuation: 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. The idea of power appears again at the end, which supports the choice. The passage remains coherent and thematically consistent when power is used in the first sentence.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Growth: Although growth is desirable, status and growth is not a standard phrase. Growth also does not appear later in the passage as a central theme.
Money: People certainly compete for money, but status and money is less typical here, and the paragraph focuses more on organisational resources, departmental expansion, career advancement, and power to control rather than on salary alone.
Success: Status and success is possible in general English, but the following lines refer specifically to power and control over others, making power a more precise and focused choice than success.

Common Pitfalls:
Many learners rely only on the immediate sentence and ignore the rest of the passage. This can lead to picking a word that seems reasonable but does not align with later clues. Another common mistake is choosing the most attractive word, such as success or money, without considering whether the pair with status is natural in the context of organisational politics. Always check if the word you choose connects neatly with the sentences that follow, and pay attention to repeated ideas such as power and control. These repetitions are strong hints given by the test setter.

Final Answer:
The correct word to complete the phrase status and _____ in the passage is power.