In this passage based vocabulary question, select the most suitable word to complete the blank in the sentence It is journalists and newspapers, fighting hundreds of _____ cases in court, who have to deal with the very real consequences.

Introduction / Context:
This is another passage based vocabulary question related to legal and media contexts. The sentence highlights the burden faced by journalists and newspapers who are involved in many court cases. The author is criticising the nature of these cases, implying that they are not serious or well founded. Your task is to select the adjective that best describes such cases, based on the tone and meaning of the passage. Questions like this test your ability to interpret context and identify precise vocabulary used in legal and editorial writing.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The key sentence fragment is: fighting hundreds of _____ cases in court.
• The options are imaginary, frivolous, unintelligible, ordinary, and serious.
• The passage criticises criminal prosecution that creates a chilling effect on speech, so the cases are implied to be weak or unnecessary.
• We assume that the author believes these cases are not based on strong legal grounds and are often used to harass or intimidate.

Concept / Approach:
In legal language, frivolous cases or frivolous lawsuits refer to cases that lack serious legal merit and are often filed to harass, delay, or pressure defendants rather than to seek genuine justice. This fits well with the idea of a chilling effect on free speech. The correct option must therefore convey the idea of lack of seriousness or legal substance, not just any random quality. Words like imaginary or ordinary do not carry this precise legal nuance. Thus, we must choose the adjective most closely associated with weak, unnecessary, or trivial legal actions.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Consider option a, imaginary. If we say imaginary cases, it suggests that the cases do not exist at all or are completely made up, which is not accurate; the cases are real but unnecessary or weak. Step 2: Consider option b, frivolous. In legal contexts, frivolous cases are those that lack seriousness or legal merit and are often intended to harass or burden the defendant. This matches the idea that journalists are forced to fight many unnecessary cases. Step 3: Consider option c, unintelligible. This means impossible to understand. While some legal documents might be hard to read, the passage is not commenting on clarity of language, but on the nature of the cases themselves. Step 4: Consider option d, ordinary. Ordinary cases would simply mean normal or typical cases, which does not match the critical tone of the passage. Step 5: Consider option e, serious. Serious cases would imply genuine and weighty legal issues, which contradicts the suggestion that these prosecutions are being used as tools to create a chilling effect on speech. Step 6: Frivolous is the only word that captures both the legal nuance and the critical attitude of the author. Therefore, option b is the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative Check:
To verify, read the whole clause with frivolous inserted: It is journalists and newspapers, fighting hundreds of frivolous cases in court, who have to deal with the very real consequences. This statement is consistent with discussions of free speech where people complain about frivolous defamation suits or frivolous complaints designed to silence criticism. Substituting imaginary cases changes the meaning to something unrealistic; substituting ordinary or serious cases removes the sense of criticism, and unintelligible is about understanding rather than merit. Therefore, context and standard legal usage both support frivolous as the best choice.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option a, imaginary, implies non existence rather than weak or unnecessary legal merit, which does not fit the passage, as these cases clearly exist.
Option c, unintelligible, focuses on lack of clarity or comprehensibility, not on the legal strength or purpose of the cases.
Option d, ordinary, is neutral and does not convey criticism, so it fails to match the author's negative tone.
Option e, serious, actually suggests the opposite of what the author wants to say, indicating strong, important cases instead of harassing ones.

Common Pitfalls:
A common pitfall is to ignore the broader context and choose serious simply because court cases are often serious in real life. However, passage based questions require you to follow the author's viewpoint, not your general beliefs. Another mistake is to treat imaginary as a synonym for frivolous; they are different. Frivolous cases are real but lack merit, whereas imaginary cases would not exist in reality. Knowing key legal vocabulary such as frivolous lawsuit, vexatious litigation, and strategic lawsuits against public participation helps you answer such questions quickly and accurately.

Final Answer:
The adjective that best completes the sentence in this legal and media context is frivolous, so option b is correct.