English Vocabulary — Antonyms Choose the word that is OPPOSITE in meaning to the highlighted expression in the sentence below. Sentence: The plantation workers were on a collision course before the labor officer intervened. Target expression: on a collision course

Introduction / Context:
Idiomatic antonyms require understanding the phrase rather than translating word by word. "On a collision course" figuratively means headed toward conflict or confrontation. The opposite sense is movement toward reconciliation or peace, i.e., "conciliatory."

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Target idiom: "on a collision course" = likely to clash.
• We need an opposite that signals pacification or attempts to resolve differences.
• Workplace/industrial relations context guides interpretation.

Concept / Approach:

Contrast the pragmatic outcomes: collision course → confrontation; conciliatory → peacemaking, seeking compromise. Other options describe unrelated tones (perfunctory), routes (circuitous), or hardened stances (intransigent) that are not the opposite of reconciliation.

Step-by-Step Solution:

1) Interpret the idiom as "headed for conflict."2) Search for a word meaning "aimed at reconciliation."3) "Conciliatory" exactly expresses efforts to placate and resolve.4) Discard words that are negative or irrelevant but not antonyms.

Verification / Alternative check:

Rewrite: "The workers adopted a conciliatory approach after the labor officer intervened." This reads as a genuine opposite scenario to "collision course."

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

retaliatory: Escalates conflict rather than resolving it.perfunctory: Means done with minimal effort; not a conflict term.circuitous: Means indirect; irrelevant to conflict vs peace.intransigent: Stubborn or uncompromising; still conflict-oriented, not opposite.

Common Pitfalls:

Do not pick words merely because they seem negative; pick the one that reverses the conflict trajectory to peacemaking.

Final Answer:

conciliatory