In this election passage, choose the correct word for the blank in the sentence "_____ have come to light of intimidation of whole villages and communities to make them vote for a particular candidate or party."

Introduction / Context:
The passage explains that ignoring allegations of booth capturing and rigging is unwise, because there are concrete examples of malpractice. The third blank introduces these examples by saying that certain things have come to light. The correct word must refer to concrete cases of wrongdoing that have been discovered and reported.

Given Data / Assumptions:

The relevant sentence is _____ have come to light of intimidation of whole villages and communities to make them vote for a particular candidate or party.

The phrase have come to light indicates that previously hidden information or events are now known.

The actions described are intimidation and pressure on entire villages and communities.

The word in the blank must agree in number with have and make sense with the rest of the phrase.

The options are instances, sources, reasons, ideas and reports.

Concept / Approach:
When we talk about misconduct or corruption, we often say that instances or cases of such behaviour have come to light. This expression refers to specific occurrences that have been discovered. The passage needs a noun meaning examples of the wrongdoing described. While reports might seem possible, the full expression instances have come to light is more precise and is the standard collocation in formal English for concrete examples of wrongdoing.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Substitute instances into the sentence so that it reads instances have come to light of intimidation of whole villages and communities. This is a natural and idiomatic expression. Step 2: Check grammatical agreement. Instances is plural and matches the plural verb have. Step 3: Test sources. Sources have come to light of intimidation of whole villages is less natural because sources usually refer to people or documents that provide information, not the acts of intimidation themselves. Step 4: Test reasons. Reasons have come to light of intimidation does not fit, because reasons do not directly describe acts of intimidation. Step 5: Test ideas. Ideas have come to light of intimidation is clearly illogical in this context. Step 6: Test reports. Reports have come to light could be grammatically correct, but the phrase reports of intimidation have come to light is more precise. Since the question expects the most accurate option, instances is better.

Verification / Alternative check:
Look at the overall aim of the passage. The writer wants to stress that there are real, concrete cases of wrongdoing, not only rumours. The word instances captures exactly the meaning of specific occurrences of intimidation and fits the formal tone of the passage. The combination realistic, disgruntled and instances across the first three blanks builds a consistent picture of real malpractice and dismissive attitudes toward honest complaints.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Sources shifts the meaning toward the people or documents that provide information, which is not the focus of the sentence. Reasons would explain why something happens, but here the writer is describing what has happened, namely acts of intimidation. Ideas is completely out of place, as the passage is describing actual behaviour during elections, not abstract thoughts. Reports could work in a different wording but does not fit as neatly in the current sentence as instances, which directly refers to specific cases of malpractice.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes pick a word that seems close in meaning, such as reports, without considering which collocation is most accurate in formal writing. Another issue is ignoring the subject verb agreement and the underlying logical structure. Always think about what exactly has come to light in such contexts; in matters of wrongdoing, specific instances are usually the focus.

Final Answer:
The word that best completes the third blank is instances.