Vocabulary in context: in the passage about the rising sun and inner awakening, choose the word that best completes the clause "Something within ourselves is also ______ with the first rays of the sun."

Introduction / Context:
The passage on the rising sun explains that sunrise is not only an external event but also an inner awakening. After talking about birds chirping and flowers opening, the author writes "If we are alert and aware, then the sunrise is also happening deep within us. Something within ourselves is also ______ with the first rays of the sun." The blank must describe what happens inside us when we respond to sunrise in a conscious way.

Given Data / Assumptions:
The inner event is described as happening deep within us and is linked with the first rays of the sun.
The passage emphasises opening the inner door and window of our inner world to let the new dawn enter.
The theme is awakening, sensitivity and receptivity, not numbness or rejection.
Options include deaden, hypnotised, awakened, disowned and dulled.

Concept / Approach:
We must select a verb that agrees with the spiritual metaphor of inner sunrise. The dominant image is one of coming to life, becoming more aware and beginning a new inner day. Therefore the verb should have a positive sense of coming into wakefulness. Words like deaden, disowned or dulled describe loss of feeling or rejection. Hypnotised suggests being placed into a trance, which is again not about conscious awareness. This leaves awakened as the only verb that directly matches the metaphor of the sun waking nature and waking our inner being.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Understand that the author sees an exact parallel between outer sunrise and inner awakening. Step 2: Note the phrase with the first rays of the sun, which clearly echoes the idea of waking up at dawn. Step 3: Test awakened in the blank: something within ourselves is also awakened with the first rays of the sun. This captures the intended image of an inner self coming to awareness. Step 4: Compare it to deaden or dulled, which would wrongly suggest that sunrise makes us less sensitive, which contradicts the rest of the passage. Step 5: Reject hypnotised because the passage talks about alertness, not trance, and reject disowned because that suggests cutting off a part of ourselves instead of awakening it.

Verification / Alternative check:
When awakened is inserted, the entire paragraph aligns: trees, birds and flowers wake up outwardly, and something within us is awakened inwardly. The repetition of the waking theme helps unify the passage. If we try any of the other options, the sentence feels out of harmony with the earlier call to be alert and aware. The spiritual tone is one of heightened, not reduced, consciousness, which supports awakened as the correct choice.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Deaden and dulled both indicate a dulling of feeling or sensitivity, which is the exact opposite of what the writer describes. Hypnotised can sometimes mean focused attention, but more commonly means being in a trance where one is less consciously aware, which again conflicts with the emphasis on alertness. Disowned refers to rejecting or renouncing something, and there is nothing in the passage to suggest that we should reject our inner self; instead we are urged to open inner doors.

Common Pitfalls:
Some readers may be distracted by hypnotised because it appears connected to altered states of consciousness. However, the passage promotes clarity rather than trance. Another pitfall is to overlook the parallel between outer and inner sunrise. When students consciously look for this parallel, the connection between waking birds and awakened inner self becomes obvious, making awakened an easy choice.

Final Answer:
The word that best completes the sentence is awakened, so option awakened is correct.