In the following passage about India’s peaceful foreign policy, a blank is indicated. Select the most appropriate word to fill the blank: “India’s policy of living in peace with and _____ peace among nations of the world rests on several pillars.”

Introduction / Context:
This cloze test question comes from a passage describing the guiding qualities of India foreign policy. The sentence refers to living peacefully with other nations and also doing something to spread peace. Therefore, the missing word should express the active act of encouraging or supporting peace among nations. Choosing the correct word tests the candidate sensitivity to context and collocations in political and diplomatic language.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The sentence fragment is: “India’s policy of living in peace with and _____ peace among nations of the world rests.”
• The options are “disturbing”, “allowing”, “generating”, and “promoting”.
• The passage is positive, about commitment to world peace, not about conflict.
• We assume that the missing word should collocate naturally with “peace” and “among nations”.

Concept / Approach:
In diplomatic and international relations discourse, the standard phrase is “living in peace with and promoting peace among nations”. The verb “promoting” means encouraging, supporting, or furthering a cause. It fits well with the idea that India does not merely enjoy peace but actively works to spread it. “Disturbing peace” would be negative and contradictory. “Allowing peace” is weak and not idiomatic in this context. “Generating peace” is possible in some contexts but is less common and not the usual collocation with “among nations”. “Promoting peace” is widely used in speeches, resolutions, and charters, so it is the best choice.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Consider the full sentence: “India’s policy of living in peace with and promoting peace among nations of the world rests on several pillars.” This sounds like something that might appear in a diplomatic white paper or a United Nations speech. If we try “disturbing peace among nations”, the sentence becomes contradictory to the context of world peace. “Allowing peace among nations” sounds weak and suggests a passive role. “Generating peace among nations” is understandable but less idiomatic. In contrast, “promoting peace among nations” fits perfectly as a standard phrase in international relations documents. This confirms our choice.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Option A: “disturbing” is opposite in meaning to what the passage intends. Disturbing peace would mean causing conflict or unrest.
• Option B: “allowing” suggests that peace happens by itself and India merely permits it. This does not reflect the active, positive role described in the passage.
• Option C: “generating” can sometimes be used figuratively, but “generating peace among nations” is not a typical collocation and sounds less natural than “promoting peace”.

Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates rely purely on dictionary meanings and forget about collocations. All the options except “disturbing” could in theory relate to peace, but only one is commonly used in formal international discourse. Another pitfall is ignoring the wider context and emotional tone of the passage. The passage is clearly praising India peaceful approach, so any word with negative or awkward connotations should be discarded. When solving cloze tests, it is essential to read the entire paragraph, not just the single sentence containing the blank.

Final Answer:
The correct word to fill the blank is “promoting”, giving the expression “living in peace with and promoting peace among nations”.