Vocabulary in context: in the yoga passage, choose the noun that best completes Patanjali’s statement "Yoga is the ______ of the modifications of the mind."

Introduction / Context:
At the end of the passage, the author quotes a famous definition from the yoga tradition: "Yoga is the ______ of the modifications of the mind." The blank must be filled with a noun that correctly completes this definition. The surrounding text has explained that to know innate reality we must turn the mind inward, and that concentration allows the mind to access its innermost secrets and perceive soul truths.

Given Data / Assumptions:
The author attributes the definition to Patanjali and refers to his work Hatha Yoga Pradipika, although the classic wording comes from the Yoga Sutras.
Yoga here is being defined as a certain relationship to the activities or modifications of the mind.
The options include evolution, ambition, bijection, cessation and alteration.
We are expected to know, or infer, that yoga is about stilling or stopping restless mental movements.

Concept / Approach:
In the most widely quoted English translation of Patanjali's aphorism, yoga is described as the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind. Cessation means stopping or bringing to an end. The other options do not match this idea. Evolution describes gradual development, ambition refers to desire for success, bijection is a technical mathematical term, and alteration simply means change. Therefore cessation is the only word that fits both the definition used in yoga philosophy and the specific collocation with modifications of the mind.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall or infer from context that yoga aims to quieten the mind so that deeper reality can be perceived. Step 2: Recognise that modifications of the mind refer to changing thoughts, feelings and impressions. Step 3: Test cessation: yoga is the cessation of the modifications of the mind. This means yoga is the stopping of mental fluctuations, which aligns with the whole passage. Step 4: Compare evolution and alteration, which would suggest that yoga is the development or change of those modifications, contradicting the emphasis on stillness. Step 5: Reject ambition and bijection because they have no conceptual link with meditation or mental activity in this context.

Verification / Alternative check:
When cessation is inserted, the entire description of yoga becomes coherent: we turn the mind inward, concentrate, access its secrets, perceive soul truths, and finally bring its restless modifications to a stop. This stopping of fluctuation allows innate reality to be seen clearly, like a still lake reflecting the sky. Evolution, ambition, bijection or alteration would completely change the meaning of the quotation and conflict with the imagery of quieting the mind.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Evolution implies gradual progressive change, which does not describe yoga's goal of mental stillness. Ambition refers to strong desire for achievement and is out of place in a definition of yoga. Bijection is a term from mathematics describing a one to one mapping and clearly does not belong here. Alteration focuses on change, but yoga is not defined as change in mental activity; rather, it is defined as the ending of that activity so that deeper awareness can emerge.

Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates may not know the word cessation and may be tempted by alteration because they recognise the link between modifications and change. However, careful reading of the passage shows that the author is seeking permanence and clarity beyond changing surface thoughts. Learning the classic yoga definition and the meaning of cessation helps prevent such errors and enriches both vocabulary and spiritual understanding.

Final Answer:
The noun that correctly completes the quotation is cessation, so option cessation is correct.