In the following English sentence, select the most appropriate word to fill the blank: "The unruly behaviour of the parliamentarians _____________ the speaker."

Introduction / Context:
This question tests your knowledge of vocabulary and collocations in English, particularly verbs that express emotional reactions. The sentence describes "unruly behaviour of the parliamentarians" and asks which verb correctly completes the idea of how this behaviour affected the speaker. You need to choose the word that naturally fits both in meaning and in standard English usage.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The sentence is: "The unruly behaviour of the parliamentarians _____________ the speaker."
• The options are: incensed, estranged, enflamed, disparaged, embarrassed.
• The context is a formal political situation involving a speaker in a parliamentary setting.
• The blank describes the effect of bad or unruly behaviour on the speaker's emotional state.

Concept / Approach:
To solve this type of question, you should focus on both the meaning and common usage patterns. "Unruly behaviour" is negative and likely to anger or upset the speaker. The correct verb should mean "made very angry" and should take the speaker as a direct object. Additionally, you must avoid words whose meanings do not match the emotional impact described or which do not fit grammatically with "the speaker".

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Understand that the parliamentarians behaved in an unruly or disorderly way, which is disrespectful in a formal house. Step 2: Recall that "incensed" means "made someone extremely angry or enraged". Step 3: Check the collocation "incensed the speaker". It is natural and commonly used to express that the speaker became very angry. Step 4: Consider "estranged". This means "caused someone to become distant or alienated over time", usually used for long term relationships, not an immediate emotional reaction to behaviour. Step 5: "Enflamed" is often used in phrases like "enflamed passions" or "enflamed the crowd", but "enflamed the speaker" is less idiomatic and usually relates to causing physical inflammation or general excitement rather than a focused sense of anger at misbehaviour. Step 6: "Disparaged" means "criticised or belittled", and is usually used with an object like "disparaged the decision", not "disparaged the speaker" as a result of behaviour. Step 7: "Embarrassed the speaker" would mean caused shame or awkwardness, which is possible but does not capture the strong sense of anger typically associated with unruly behaviour in a serious assembly. Step 8: Therefore, "incensed" is the best choice because it accurately and strongly expresses that the speaker became very angry.

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, you can rewrite the sentence with each option. "The unruly behaviour of the parliamentarians incensed the speaker" clearly means the speaker became very angry. This is the expected meaning in a parliamentary context where decorum is important. Other options either suggest a different type of impact (embarrassment, alienation) or do not collocate naturally in this frame. This cross-check confirms "incensed" as the correct answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• estranged: Suggests long term distancing in relationships, not an immediate angry reaction to bad behaviour in a session.
• enflamed: Common with "passions" or "the crowd", but "enflamed the speaker" is not a standard or precise expression here.
• disparaged: Means "belittled" or "spoke ill of", and does not describe the speaker's emotional response.
• embarrassed: Indicates shame or awkwardness, but the situation described more strongly suggests anger rather than mere embarrassment.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes choose words based only on emotional tone, without considering exact meaning or collocation. For example, "embarrassed" also describes a negative feeling but does not match the seriousness and authority of a parliamentary speaker reacting to disorder. Another pitfall is assuming "enflamed" always refers to anger, while it can also refer to excitement or physical inflammation. Always check if the word naturally fits the context and grammatical structure.

Final Answer:
The most appropriate word to complete the sentence is incensed.