In this sentence improvement question, choose the option that best improves the underlined verb in the sentence: "A chance remark by her friend transported her life."

Introduction / Context:
Sentence improvement questions often test your knowledge of correct word choice and collocation. The sentence given here is "A chance remark by her friend transported her life." Grammatically the sentence is nearly correct, but the verb "transported" sounds odd and does not collocate naturally with "her life" in the intended sense. You must choose a verb that accurately expresses the idea that her life changed significantly because of the remark.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Original sentence: A chance remark by her friend transported her life.
• Underlined word: transported.
• Options: transgressed, transposed, transformed, no improvement.
• The context suggests that the remark caused a big change in her life.

Concept / Approach:
In everyday English, we say that an idea or event "transformed her life" when it brought about a deep and important change. The verb "transport" usually means to carry something from one place to another physically, or occasionally to cause strong emotion (for example, transported with joy). It is not idiomatic to say "transported her life" when we mean "changed her life." Thus "transformed" is the best fit. "Transgressed" means violated a law or rule, and "transposed" means changed the order or position of things, particularly in music or mathematics, so both are wrong in this context.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the intended meaning of the sentence: a single remark caused a major positive or negative change in her life.Step 2: Recall common collocations in English such as "that incident transformed her life" or "the news transformed his outlook."Step 3: Compare this with the given verb "transported her life" and note that it sounds unnatural and does not express change clearly.Step 4: Evaluate "transformed," which directly means changed greatly in form, nature or appearance, matching the idea of life change.Step 5: Check "transgressed," which means to break a law or moral rule, and see that it does not relate to changing a life through a remark.Step 6: Check "transposed," which is used for switching order or key, not for describing a deep life change.

Verification / Alternative Check:
Replace the underlined word with each option and read the sentence. "A chance remark by her friend transformed her life" sounds natural and is a common pattern in literature and conversation. "Transgressed her life" is meaningless. "Transposed her life" is confusing and does not convey the intended idea. "Transported her life" also fails as a common expression. Therefore, transformed is the only option that both fits the context and follows standard English usage.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
"Transgressed" is associated with wrongdoing or crossing a moral boundary, so it usually takes an object like "the law" or "social norms," not "life." "Transposed" is appropriate for swapping positions, such as transposing numbers or musical notes, and does not describe life change. "No improvement" would keep "transported," which is not the right verb in this context, so it must be rejected. All three alternatives either break collocation rules or fail to express the intended meaning.

Common Pitfalls:
Because all four options begin with "trans," students sometimes focus on the prefix and assume that any complex word may work. However, each verb has a specific meaning and collocational pattern. Another trap is assuming that if a sentence is grammatically acceptable, it needs no improvement, but sentence improvement questions often test naturalness and idiomatic usage. Remember to think about the idea the sentence wants to convey and choose the verb that English speakers actually use for that idea.

Final Answer:
The best improvement is: "A chance remark by her friend transformed her life."