In the passage sentence "It is here the committee __________ to bring in a bigger and responsible role to victims of crime", choose the correct verb to complete the sense.

Introduction / Context:
This cloze test item focuses on selecting the correct verb to fit a formal legal and policy context. The sentence fragment is: "It is here the committee __________ to bring in a bigger and responsible role to victims of crime in the whole proceedings." You must choose the verb that correctly expresses the idea that the committee aimed or tried to give victims a larger role.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Fragment: "It is here the committee __________ to bring in a bigger and responsible role to victims of crime."
• Options: "bought", "brought", "caught", "sought", "fought".
• The context is a committee recommending reforms in criminal justice processes.
• We assume a formal tone and standard usage of verbs in policy discussions.

Concept / Approach:
In formal English, when we say that a committee or authority tries to introduce some change, we often use verbs such as "seeks to" or "sought to". The past tense "sought" is used with the infinitive "to bring". The other options have concrete physical meanings: "bought" relates to purchasing, "brought" relates to carrying or introducing something, "caught" relates to catching, and "fought" relates to fighting. While "brought in" can be used, the structure in the passage clearly expects "sought to bring in", which is a fixed and well known combination.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Understand the meaning: the committee is trying or intending to create a larger and more responsible role for victims of crime. Step 2: Consider common formal expressions: "the committee sought to bring in reforms", "the panel sought to ensure fairness". Step 3: Test "sought": "It is here the committee sought to bring in a bigger and responsible role to victims of crime." This is grammatically correct and expresses deliberate effort. Step 4: Test "bought": This clearly refers to purchasing and does not make sense in this context. Step 5: Test "brought": "It is here the committee brought to bring in" would be incorrect; even if rewritten as "brought in a bigger role", the pattern in the passage shows "to bring in" after the blank, so we cannot use "brought" there. Step 6: Test "caught" and "fought": Neither "caught to bring in" nor "fought to bring in" fits naturally in the sentence and does not match typical policy language. Step 7: Conclude that "sought" is the only verb that fits both the grammar and the context.

Verification / Alternative check:
Read the larger passage with the chosen word: "It is here the committee sought to bring in a bigger and responsible role to victims of crime in the whole proceedings." This matches typical report writing style, where committees "seek" or "sought" to introduce certain changes. Additionally, in many reports we see phrases such as "The Act sought to strengthen victim participation", which mirror this structure. This confirms that "sought" is the correct answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
"Bought" would require an object that can literally be purchased and is completely out of place in the context of legal reform. "Brought" is the past tense of "bring" and cannot be followed by "to bring in"; the phrase "brought to bring in" would be incorrect. "Caught" usually relates to physically catching something or being captured; it does not fit the idea of planning reforms. "Fought" implies physical or metaphorical battle, and although one can "fight to bring in reforms", the pattern "the committee fought to bring in" is less typical than "the committee sought to bring in", and the original passage specifically expects the more neutral planning verb.

Common Pitfalls:
Some learners are tempted by "brought" because they are familiar with the phrasal verb "bring in reforms". However, they overlook that the structure already uses "to bring in" after the blank, so the missing verb must be something else, namely the verb that indicates intention or effort. A good strategy is to read ahead and see how the infinitive "to bring in" is used, then choose a verb like "sought" that commonly precedes an infinitive in formal writing.

Final Answer:
The correct verb is "sought", giving the sentence "It is here the committee sought to bring in a bigger and responsible role to victims of crime in the whole proceedings."