Continuing the passage on monsoon floods, choose the most appropriate phrase to fill the blank in "floods that have taken a _______________" so that the sentence accurately describes the loss of life caused by the disaster.

Introduction / Context:
This item is part of a cloze test describing how intense monsoon rains produce severe flooding across different states. The sentence focuses on the human impact of the floods. In formal English, there are commonly used expressions to talk about loss of life in disasters, and you must select the phrase that fits this editorial style while maintaining grammatical correctness.

Given Data / Assumptions:
• The fragment is "floods that have taken a _______________, wiped out crops and destroyed hard-earned assets." • The options are "many deaths", "dangerous turn", "heavy toll of life", and "big cost in terms of life". • The tone is serious and journalistic, typical of newspaper commentary.

Concept / Approach:
When speaking about disasters, a very common phrase is "take a heavy toll of life" or "take a heavy toll". This expression means that many lives have been lost. It is idiomatic and widely used in reports. The other options either sound awkward, are less idiomatic, or do not match the pattern "taken a ...". Therefore, the task is to identify the exact collocation that fits into the blank: "taken a heavy toll of life".

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Insert "many deaths": "floods that have taken a many deaths..." This is grammatically wrong because the article "a" cannot be followed by the plural noun phrase "many deaths". Step 2: Try "dangerous turn": "floods that have taken a dangerous turn..." While this forms a phrase, it does not directly express loss of life and also does not fit with the rest of the sentence about crops and assets. Step 3: Insert "heavy toll of life": "floods that have taken a heavy toll of life..." This is a standard and powerful phrase describing many lives lost. Step 4: Try "big cost in terms of life": "floods that have taken a big cost in terms of life..." This sounds informal and clumsy in a serious editorial. Step 5: Conclude that "heavy toll of life" is the most appropriate and idiomatic choice.

Verification / Alternative check:
Read the full sentence with the chosen phrase: "From Assam to Karnataka, heavy rainfall in a short span of time has created paralysing floods that have taken a heavy toll of life, wiped out crops and destroyed hard earned assets." This sentence flows smoothly and reflects the standard style of journalistic writing about natural disasters. Other phrases such as "many deaths" do not fit grammatically with "taken a", and "dangerous turn" shifts the focus away from human casualties.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
"Many deaths" cannot grammatically follow "a" in "taken a many deaths", and it is not part of any common idiom. "Dangerous turn" focuses on a change in situation, not specifically on the death toll, and does not match the idea of lives lost. "Big cost in terms of life" is an awkward, wordy phrase that is not idiomatic and sounds less polished than "heavy toll of life".

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes choose options that seem emotionally strong without checking how they collocate with the surrounding verbs and nouns. Another trap is ignoring the article or preposition in the fragment before the blank, which often signals what type of phrase must follow. To master cloze tests, always read the entire sentence and pay attention to fixed expressions commonly used in the topic area, in this case reports of natural disasters and their consequences.

Final Answer:
The correct phrase to fill the blank is heavy toll of life.