In the following question, the sentence has a blank to be filled with an appropriate phrasal verb. Nobody gets __________ with a pretentious smug.

Introduction / Context:

This question checks your familiarity with English phrasal verbs, especially those used to describe relationships between people. The sentence comments on how others react to someone who behaves in a pretentious and smug manner. The correct answer must form a natural and idiomatic phrasal verb with gets.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Sentence: Nobody gets ________ with a pretentious smug.
• Options: along, up, about, through.
• We interpret pretentious smug as a smug, self satisfied person who behaves in a showy or arrogant way.
• The context implies difficulty in maintaining a good relationship with such a person.

Concept / Approach:

The phrasal verb get along with means to have a friendly or harmonious relationship with someone. Common patterns in English include get along with neighbours, get along with colleagues, and so on. Therefore, nobody gets along with a pretentious smug means nobody has a good relationship with that kind of person. Other combinations like get up, get about, or get through with do not match the relational meaning here.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:

You can verify by testing the phrasal verb in other sentences. For example, Do you get along with your classmates clearly refers to relationships. This aligns perfectly with the idea of liking or tolerating someone. In contrast, get up means rise from bed, get about often refers to moving around, and get through can mean finish something or successfully contact someone. None of those meanings fit the stem of this question.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

Up is wrong because get up with is not an idiomatic phrase describing relationships.

About is wrong because get about with someone usually does not refer to social harmony and is rarely used in this sense.

Through is wrong because get through with typically means finish a task, not get along with a person.

Common Pitfalls:

Candidates often focus only on the word immediately before the blank and forget to look at the preposition after it. The presence of with is a strong clue that you need a verb that commonly combines with with. Another pitfall is choosing a phrasal verb you have heard before without checking if the full expression matches the meaning of the sentence.

Final Answer:

The correct phrasal verb is gets along with, so the answer is along.