Select the best one word substitute for the following description: Having a limited or narrow outlook or scope.

Introduction / Context:
This vocabulary question asks you to choose the most appropriate one word substitute for a descriptive phrase. The phrase having a limited or narrow outlook or scope is often used in discussions of attitudes, policies, or ways of thinking. In competitive exams, you are frequently tested on precise adjectives that summarise such descriptions in a single word.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The description is having a limited or narrow outlook or scope.
- Options: Indulgent, Parochial, Egotistical, Liberal, Expansive.
- We need a word commonly used to criticise a restricted or narrowly focused viewpoint, especially in social or political contexts.

Concept / Approach:
The word parochial is often used to describe an outlook that is limited, narrow, or concerned only with local or small scale interests. It originally relates to a parish but has gained a broader figurative meaning. Indulgent means overly lenient, egotistical means self centred, liberal suggests open mindedness, and expansive means wide or extensive. None of these captures the specific idea of a narrow outlook. Therefore, parochial is the most accurate one word substitute.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Focus on the key idea in the description: limited or narrow outlook or scope.
Step 2: Recall adjectives used in criticism of narrow minded policies or attitudes; parochial is one such term.
Step 3: Compare the meaning of parochial with the definitions of indulgent, egotistical, liberal, and expansive.
Step 4: Confirm that only parochial directly expresses narrowness of perspective, while the others point to different personality traits or attitudes.

Verification / Alternative check:
If you place the candidate words in a test sentence such as The committee took a very narrow view on this issue, the best replacement is The committee took a very parochial view on this issue. Using indulgent, egotistical, liberal, or expansive here either changes the meaning or produces an unnatural sentence. Standard dictionaries describe parochial as having a limited or narrow outlook, which exactly matches the question phrase.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
- Indulgent: means being overly generous or lenient, especially with someone s faults; it does not imply narrowness of outlook.
- Egotistical: describes someone who is excessively self centred or self important, which is different from having a limited scope of interest in the world.
- Liberal: usually means open minded, tolerant, or favouring reform; this is actually closer to the opposite of narrow outlook.
- Expansive: suggests wide, open, or extensive, again the opposite of limited or narrow.

Common Pitfalls:
Some learners confuse parochial with provincial or local without realising that in modern usage it often carries a critical tone about restricted thinking. It is important to associate such words with example sentences and contexts so that you can quickly recall their connotations. Also, note that exam setters often include one or two options that are near opposites of the right answer to test whether you are paying attention to the exact direction of meaning.

Final Answer:
The best one word substitute is Parochial.