Sentence completion (word choice: similar forms): Choose the word that best completes the sentence “He ______ in wearing the old-fashioned coat in spite of his wife's disapproval.” Pick the verb that means “continued steadfastly.”

Given data

• Clue: “in spite of … disapproval” implies continued action.

Concept/Approach
Persist = continue firmly despite opposition. “Insist” usually takes “on + gerund”; “desist” means stop; “resist” means oppose.

Option analysis
persists — correct sense and structure: “persists in wearing.”insists — would require “on wearing,” and means demand rather than continue.desists — opposite meaning (to cease).resists — means opposes; doesn’t fit with “in wearing.”

Common pitfalls
Confusing “insist on” with “persist in.”

Final Answer
persists