Introduction / Context:
This blank appears in a sentence that refers to historical struggles and injustice in certain States. The preposition chosen must match the standard English expression used to describe fighting or struggling in opposition to something. It also needs to fit the formal, analytical tone of the passage.
Given Data / Assumptions:
- Sentence fragment: It constantly nudges us to recollect past struggles ___________________ injustice in these States.
- Options: against, for, to, from.
- The phrase should describe people resisting injustice, not supporting it.
Concept / Approach:
In English, the usual expression for resistance or opposition is struggle against something. For example, struggles against discrimination or struggles against oppression. Using for would imply that the struggles were in support of injustice, which would reverse the intended meaning. To and from are not used in this expression. Therefore, against is the correct preposition.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Understand the context: people in these States have fought past struggles to remove injustice.
Step 2: Recall the standard phrase: struggles against injustice, meaning efforts to resist or end injustice.
Step 3: Insert against into the sentence: It constantly nudges us to recollect past struggles against injustice in these States. This is clear and natural.
Step 4: Test for. Struggles for injustice would mean people struggled in favour of injustice, which contradicts the idea of fighting wrongdoing.
Step 5: Test to. Struggles to injustice is ungrammatical because to does not combine with injustice in this way.
Step 6: Test from. Struggles from injustice is also incorrect; from might be used in free from injustice but not in the given structure.
Verification / Alternative check:
Compare with similar phrases: campaigns against corruption, protests against unfair laws, resistance against colonial rule. All use against to show opposition. The same pattern applies here with struggles against injustice. If the preposition were for, the meaning would change to supporting injustice, which is clearly not the author's intention in a critical political passage. This confirms against as the only meaningful choice.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
- for: Would wrongly suggest struggles in favour of injustice, reversing the intended sense of moral resistance.
- to: Does not create a meaningful phrase with struggles and injustice in this structure.
- from: Could appear in phrases like free from injustice, but not as struggles from injustice.
Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates choose for because it is often used in positive phrases like struggle for freedom. However, here the object is injustice, a negative concept, and we normally struggle against something harmful. Others may try to read the phrase too literally and forget that collocations often have fixed prepositions. Remember common patterns like fight against, struggle against, and protest against to avoid such errors.
Final Answer:
The correct preposition is
against, giving past struggles against injustice in these States.
Discussion & Comments