In the following passage, a word has been left out. Select the correct option to fill the blank: If we can permit ourselves to ______ movement fully, we permit ourselves to perceive, think and reflect. We allow ourselves the privilege of reimagining dance, music, and the way you and I talk, or think, or love.

Introduction / Context:

Cloze test questions present a short passage with blanks, and you must choose the word that fits grammatically and logically. In this sentence, the author is discussing what happens if we fully permit ourselves to do something with movement. The structure uses the infinitive form after the verb permit, and the meaning must match the broader idea of perceiving, thinking, and reflecting about dance, music, and human interaction.

Given Data / Assumptions:

- Passage fragment: If we can permit ourselves to ______ movement fully, we permit ourselves to perceive, think and reflect.

- Options: understood, understandable, understandably, understand.

- The phrase permit ourselves to is followed by a blank before the object movement.

- We assume standard formal English usage, where permit is followed by an infinitive or object.

Concept / Approach:

After the structure permit ourselves to, the verb normally takes its base form to show an infinitive, such as to think, to understand, or to see. The object in this clause is movement. Therefore, we need a base form of a verb that fits logically with movement and with the idea of perceiving and reflecting. Understand is the natural choice, because fully understanding movement allows deeper perception and reflection. The other options either have the wrong form or do not function correctly in this position.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:

You can verify by removing the auxiliary can and reading the core sentence: We permit ourselves to understand movement fully. This is clearly correct. If you try substituting another option, such as We permit ourselves to understood movement fully, the sentence becomes wrong and unnatural. The same happens with We permit ourselves to understandable movement fully and We permit ourselves to understandably movement fully, which do not follow any normal English pattern for verb phrases.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

Understood is wrong because it is a past form and cannot follow to directly; we do not say to understood. Understandable is wrong because it is an adjective, and adjectives cannot act as verbs in an infinitive structure. Understandably is wrong because it is an adverb and would require a verb after it, not before it. None of these alternatives can stand in the grammatical slot correctly.

Common Pitfalls:

Often in cloze tests, students are distracted by words that share the same root and choose based on familiarity rather than grammar. Another pitfall is ignoring the structure surrounding the blank. To avoid this, always identify what type of word is needed (verb, adjective, adverb, noun) by examining the pattern before and after the blank. In this case, recognizing permit ourselves to immediately signals the need for a base verb.

Final Answer:

The correct word to complete the blank is understand, giving the sentence: If we can permit ourselves to understand movement fully, we permit ourselves to perceive, think and reflect.