In the same sentence about literature and social protest, select the word that best completes the second blank: "Literature is a medium through which a person conveys his ideas or protests _____ different norms of society."

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: against

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This question continues the paragraph about literature as a form of expression and protest. The sentence talks about a person using literature to convey ideas or to protest something. The preposition that follows the verb protest is crucial for correct English usage and for capturing the relationship between the writer and the social norms described.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Reconstructed sentence fragment: Literature is a medium through which a person conveys his ideas or protests _____ different norms of society.
  • The verb in focus is protest.
  • The options are against, for, in, off and over.
  • The sense is that a writer may object to or oppose certain norms of society.


Concept / Approach:
In standard English usage, the verb protest when used intransitively or in phrases like protest against normally takes the preposition against to show opposition to something. We commonly say protest against injustice, protest against unfair laws or protest against social norms. Using for would suggest support, which is the opposite meaning. The prepositions in, off and over are not grammatically or idiomatically correct in this context. Therefore, the natural and correct phrase is protests against different norms of society.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Understand that in this sentence, protest carries the idea of opposing or objecting to certain norms.
Step 2: Recall the common collocation protest against something.
Step 3: Check each option with the verb: protest for, protest in, protest off, protest over, and see which one is standard.
Step 4: Identify against as the only preposition that forms a well known and correct phrase with protest.
Step 5: Confirm that the full expression protests against different norms of society conveys the intended meaning of opposition.


Verification / Alternative check:
We can test the usage with other examples: People protested against the new tax, Students protested against the dress code, Writers protest against censorship. In all of these, against is the expected preposition. If we try protest for the new tax, the meaning changes to support rather than opposition. Protest in, protest off and protest over sound either incomplete or unnatural in such contexts. This comparison supports against as the correct completion for the blank.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B, for, typically expresses support or favour, as in protest for someone's rights, but even there protest for is less common than protest against violations of those rights. In the given sentence, we clearly need a word that expresses opposition to norms, so for is not appropriate. Option C, in, does not correctly connect with protest in this structure. Option D, off, has no meaningful connection with protest. Option E, over, might appear in phrases like protests over rising prices, but there over is part of the object of the protest, not the fixed complement of the verb, and the structure of the exam sentence does not match that pattern.


Common Pitfalls:
Many learners know that certain verbs take specific prepositions but may confuse pairs like protest against and fight for. Confusing these may lead to sentences that express the opposite meaning of what is intended. A useful habit is to learn verbs together with their typical prepositional patterns, for example object to, depend on, look after and protest against. Regular reading and note taking of such combinations significantly improves accuracy in fill in the blank questions.


Final Answer:
The correct preposition is against, so the sentence should read: Literature is a medium through which a person conveys his ideas or protests against different norms of society.

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