In the following passage, choose the correct preposition to complete the blank in the sentence:\n"As I watched, it played hide-and-seek ________ a sea anemone, before frisking away."

Introduction / Context:
The question is taken from a short descriptive passage about snorkelling in the Andamans and watching a clown fish move playfully in the sea. The test item focuses on your understanding of correct preposition use in natural English expressions. Specifically, the phrase in question is "played hide-and-seek ______ a sea anemone". To answer accurately, you need both grammatical knowledge and a sense of common collocations in English.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The full sentence in the passage is: "As I watched, it played hide-and-seek ______ a sea anemone, before frisking away."
• The subject "it" refers to a clown fish.
• The clown fish is interacting playfully with a sea anemone.
• The options given are "to", "for", "from", and "with".
• We assume standard modern British or Indian English usage, as in competitive exams.

Concept / Approach:
The core concept here is correct preposition choice in idiomatic expressions. In English, the game "hide-and-seek" is commonly played "with someone", not "to someone" or "for someone". Prepositions show relationships between words in a sentence, and many expressions are fixed collocations. The verb phrase "play hide-and-seek" usually takes "with" to indicate the other participant in the game. Therefore, we focus on which preposition reflects a natural partnership or interaction between the clown fish and the sea anemone in the sentence.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the base phrase. The basic expression is "play hide-and-seek", which is followed by a prepositional phrase showing with whom or with what the game is being played.Step 2: Test "to". The phrase "played hide-and-seek to a sea anemone" is ungrammatical in English because "to" is not used to mark partnership in a game.Step 3: Test "for". "Played hide-and-seek for a sea anemone" suggests playing on behalf of the sea anemone, which does not fit the meaning of the sentence.Step 4: Test "from". "Played hide-and-seek from a sea anemone" is incorrect; "from" usually indicates movement away or origin, not partnership in play.Step 5: Test "with". "Played hide-and-seek with a sea anemone" clearly conveys that the clown fish is interacting and playing together with the sea anemone, which matches both grammar and context.

Verification / Alternative check:
To double-check, recall similar expressions: "play football with friends", "play chess with my brother", "play hide-and-seek with the children". In each case, "with" introduces the partner or co-player. Applying this pattern to the sentence in the passage strongly confirms that "with" is the correct choice. Reading the full line aloud as "it played hide-and-seek with a sea anemone" sounds natural and vivid, reinforcing that the clown fish is playfully interacting with the anemone.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• "to": Used for direction or recipient (for example, "give it to me"), not for co-participation in a game, so it sounds wrong here.
• "for": Typically implies purpose or benefit ("do this for you"), which would wrongly suggest playing on behalf of the anemone.
• "from": Indicates source or separation ("from the house", "from danger"), which does not match the playful partnership described.

Common Pitfalls:
Candidates may overthink the imagery and think that the fish is darting away from the anemone, which could tempt them to choose "from". Others might wrongly generalise that almost any activity related to another object uses "to" or "for". The key is to remember that many English phrases are fixed collocations. For games and social activities, "with" is the standard preposition to indicate the person or thing you are interacting with. Ignoring common collocation patterns is a frequent reason for errors in such vocabulary and grammar questions.

Final Answer:
The correct preposition is "with", so the completed phrase is "played hide-and-seek with a sea anemone".