In the following sentence completion question, choose the most appropriate word to fill the blank so that the sentence reads: "Galileo was the first scientist to recognize clearly that the only way to further our understanding of the physical world was to ______ to experiment."

Introduction / Context:
This sentence completion question tests both vocabulary and collocation, that is, which words naturally go together in English. The sentence speaks about Galileo and the method of understanding the physical world. Historically and scientifically, Galileo is associated with observation and experiment, so the missing verb must fit both logically and idiomatically with "to experiment".

Given Data / Assumptions:
The incomplete sentence is: "Galileo was the first scientist to recognize clearly that the only way to further our understanding of the physical world was to ______ to experiment." We must choose the most suitable word from four options. We assume basic knowledge of Galileo's scientific approach and English usage.

Concept / Approach:
The expression "to resort to" means "to turn to and adopt a method or course of action, especially when other methods have failed or are not available". The phrase "resort to experiment" therefore means "to rely on experiment as the main method". This fits perfectly with Galileo's role in transforming science into an experimental discipline. The other options do not form natural or meaningful collocations with "to experiment" in this context.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Read the sentence carefully and focus on the logical relationship between "further our understanding" and "experiment". Step 2: Consider each option with "to experiment": "annihilate to experiment", "resort to experiment", "emerge to experiment", and "suspect to experiment". Step 3: Notice that only "resort to experiment" is a natural, meaningful phrase in English. Step 4: Recall that Galileo championed experimentation as the central method of science, which matches "resort to". Step 5: Choose Option B, "resort", as the correct completion.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify by mentally substituting each option into the sentence. "Annihilate to experiment" makes no sense, because "annihilate" means destroy completely. "Emerge to experiment" and "suspect to experiment" are also ungrammatical and semantically odd. In contrast, "was to resort to experiment" reads smoothly and accurately describes adopting experiment as the primary means of investigation, confirming that "resort" is the only correct choice.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A, "annihilate", means to destroy completely and does not fit with "to experiment" as an object. Option C, "emerge", means to come out or become visible, and it cannot grammatically take "to experiment" as a direct complement in this sentence. Option D, "suspect", means to believe something may be true or to distrust, and again does not form a correct phrase with "to experiment". None of these verbs matches the intended idea of adopting experiment as a method.

Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates may overthink and look for a more complex verb, but the correct answer is the one that forms a standard collocation and makes historical sense. Another pitfall is to focus only on the meaning of individual words without checking how they function inside the full sentence. To do well in sentence completion questions, always read the sentence aloud in your mind with each option and choose the one that sounds natural and logical in context.

Final Answer:
The correct word to complete the sentence is "resort".