In this final sentence of the cloze test on motivation and anxiety, you must choose the word that best completes "because it is ______ by an increased level of anxiety." so that the sentence reads smoothly and logically.

Introduction / Context:
This question continues the discussion of motivation and performance in the cloze test passage. The relevant sentence explains why increasing motivation beyond an optimal level can produce a dysfunctional result: it links excessive motivation to increased anxiety. The blank requires a verb that expresses the idea that high motivation goes together with or is linked to a higher level of anxiety.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The partial sentence is: "because it is ______ by an increased level of anxiety."
- Options: "abandoned", "accompanied", "affiliated", and "amalgamated".
- The "it" in the sentence refers to motivation beyond the optimal level or the resulting dysfunctional performance.

Concept / Approach:
The passage suggests that too much motivation leads to anxiety, and that anxiety then harms performance. The natural English expression for one condition existing together with another is "accompanied by". The other options either do not fit grammatically or do not express the intended relationship. Therefore, we must choose the word that best reflects the idea that excessive motivation is linked with higher anxiety.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Understand that the sentence is explaining the reason for a dysfunctional result. Step 2: The structure "is ______ by" usually takes words like "accompanied", "followed", or "caused". Step 3: Consider "abandoned". The phrase "is abandoned by an increased level of anxiety" makes no sense in this context. Step 4: Consider "accompanied". "Is accompanied by an increased level of anxiety" is a standard and meaningful phrase showing that anxiety goes along with the condition. Step 5: Consider "affiliated" and "amalgamated". These are not typically used in the pattern "is affiliated by" or "is amalgamated by" in this context.

Verification / Alternative check:
Substituting "accompanied", the sentence becomes: "However, increasing motivation beyond an optimal level tends to produce a dysfunctional result because it is accompanied by an increased level of anxiety." This clearly and smoothly states that the dysfunctional result appears together with higher anxiety. The other options either break grammatical rules or do not carry the intended meaning of co-occurrence.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
"Abandoned" is wrong because it means left or deserted and cannot logically describe the relationship with anxiety here. "Affiliated" is usually followed by "with" and indicates formal association, as in "affiliated with an organisation", not "affiliated by anxiety". "Amalgamated" means combined or merged; it does not fit the passive pattern used in the sentence and would sound unnatural. None of these words produce a clear or accurate explanation of the link between motivation and anxiety.

Common Pitfalls:
A typical mistake is to focus only on whether a word seems formal or technical rather than whether it fits the exact structure of the sentence. In cloze tests, always read the full sentence and check if the verb, preposition, and object form a natural English phrase. Remember that "accompanied by" is a very common expression to show that one thing happens together with another, especially in scientific or psychological descriptions.

Final Answer:
The correct word to fill the blank is accompanied, giving "because it is accompanied by an increased level of anxiety".