Complete the sentence with the most appropriate words: I learnt from my experience that by ______ my anger and resentment, and by avoiding ______ I could overcome opponents more successfully than those who openly defied their adversaries.

Introduction / Context:
This sentence completion question assesses understanding of vocabulary, collocation, and logical coherence. The sentence describes a strategy for dealing with opponents more successfully than those who openly defied their adversaries. You must select the pair of words that fits both the grammar and the meaning of self control and avoidance of direct clashes.

Given Data / Assumptions:
1) The sentence talks about anger and resentment in the first blank.
2) The second blank follows the word avoiding and should name something that can be avoided, likely a negative situation such as conflict.
3) The options are suppressing, conflict; expressing, hostility; stifling, temperance; and rousing, wrath.
4) The final sense of the sentence should reflect a calm strategy rather than provoking more hostility.

Concept / Approach:
The learned strategy described in the sentence is about controlling aggressive feelings and not engaging in direct confrontation. The phrase by suppressing my anger and resentment captures the idea of self control. The phrase avoiding conflict explains how the speaker sidesteps open defiance. Together, they support the conclusion that this approach is more successful than openly defying adversaries. Other options either intensify aggression or are semantically mismatched.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Interpret the overall idea. The speaker says that a more successful method than open defiance is to restrain inner anger and avoid direct clashes. Step 2: For the first blank, words that mean holding back anger are suitable. Suppressing means controlling or keeping something from being expressed. Step 3: Expressing would mean showing anger openly, which contradicts the idea of a calmer, strategic response. Step 4: For the second blank, we need a noun that fits after avoiding and relates to dealing with opponents. Conflict is the natural choice because people avoid conflict to maintain peace. Step 5: Hostility would also mean open aggression but avoiding hostility is less idiomatic here than avoiding conflict and does not fit as well with the logical contrast to open defiance. Step 6: Temperance means moderation and self restraint, a positive quality, so avoiding temperance would go against the idea of wise control. Step 7: Rousing wrath would imply stirring up anger, which is opposite of the strategy described. Step 8: Therefore the only combination that preserves both grammar and meaning is suppressing, conflict.

Verification / Alternative check:
Read the completed sentence. I learnt from my experience that by suppressing my anger and resentment, and by avoiding conflict I could overcome opponents more successfully than could those who openly defied their adversaries. This is smooth and logically consistent. Each rejected option leads to either more open aggression or a contradiction. For example, expressing my anger and resentment would line up with openly defying, not with a more subtle approach.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Expressing, hostility makes the speaker more confrontational, not less. Stifling, temperance describes suppressing a positive quality, which undermines the idea of wise behaviour. Rousing, wrath suggests stirring up anger, not controlling it. None of these pairs support the final claim that the described method is more successful than open defiance.

Common Pitfalls:
Candidates may be tempted by strong words like wrath or hostility, but they must always cross check the entire sentence meaning. Exam setters often include attractive but misleading options. The key is to align both blanks with the central idea of self control and non confrontation.

Final Answer:
The correct completion is: by suppressing my anger and resentment, and by avoiding conflict. Thus the answer is the pair suppressing, conflict.