In this TARP passage sentence, select the word that best completes the blank: “... the government had purchased assets of struggling banks with a view ______ ensuring that they did not collapse ...”

Introduction / Context:
This question checks understanding of a fixed English expression that often appears in formal and academic writing: “with a view to doing something.” The sentence is part of a passage about TARP in which the government buys assets with a particular purpose. The blank appears after the phrase “with a view,” and the candidate must select the correct word that leads into a verb form and completes the idiomatic structure.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The sentence from the passage is: “... the government had purchased assets of struggling banks with a view ______ ensuring that they did not collapse ...”
• Options: to, of, so, for.
• The phrase “with a view ... ensuring” needs to be grammatically and idiomatically correct.
• Standard English uses certain set phrases, especially in formal contexts like economics and policy discussion.

Concept / Approach:
The key concept is the idiom “with a view to,” which means “with the intention of” or “in order to.” It is always followed by a gerund (the -ing form of a verb). Therefore, the correct pattern is “with a view to ensuring,” where “ensuring” is the gerund. The other options do not form a standard idiom and would make the sentence awkward or wrong.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the fixed phrase. We know that in formal English, people say “with a view to improving,” “with a view to reducing,” etc. Step 2: Test “to.” The complete part would be “with a view to ensuring that they did not collapse.” This matches the known idiom and is grammatically correct. Step 3: Test “of.” “With a view of ensuring” is not standard usage. While “view of” can appear in other contexts (“in view of something”), it does not work with “with a view” in this idiom. Step 4: Test “so.” The phrase “with a view so ensuring” is grammatically incorrect and unidiomatic. Step 5: Test “for.” “With a view for ensuring” is also not a recognized expression and sounds incorrect in formal writing. Step 6: Since “to” is the only word that completes the idiom “with a view to + gerund,” it is the correct answer.
Verification / Alternative check:
We can verify by substituting another verb: “The company invested in training with a view to increasing productivity.” This clearly shows that “with a view to” is the correct pattern. Using “with a view of increasing” or “with a view for increasing” would be considered non-standard in exam-oriented English. The same logic applies to “with a view to ensuring that they did not collapse.”

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• of: “With a view of ensuring” is not idiomatic. “In view of” exists as another phrase, but that is different and does not fit here.
• so: Does not fit after “with a view” and results in ungrammatical phrasing.
• for: “With a view for ensuring” is incorrect; “for” may introduce purpose in other structures, but not in this fixed expression.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes mix up “in view of” (meaning “because of” or “considering”) with “with a view to” (meaning “with the intention of”). They may also choose a preposition based on guesswork instead of recognizing the idiom. To avoid this, it is helpful to memorize common academic and formal phrases such as “with a view to improving,” “in accordance with,” and “by virtue of.” These high-frequency chunks of language often appear in reading passages and cloze tests in competitive exams.

Final Answer:
The correct word to complete the idiomatic expression is to, giving “with a view to ensuring.”