Sentence completion (collocation): Choose the word that best completes the sentence “In a little-publicised deal, Pepsi-Cola has ______ the entire soft-drink market in Afghanistan.” Select the verb that fits the idiomatic business context of gaining control.

Given data

• Context: Business/market share.
• Sentence: Pepsi-Cola has ______ the entire soft-drink market in Afghanistan.

Concept/Approach
In business English, when a company gains control or dominance of a market, the standard collocation is “capture a market.”

Option analysis
captured — idiomatic: “captured the market.”occupied — physical presence; not used for market share.conquered — militaristic/overblown; non-idiomatic for markets.swallowed — used for acquisitions/mergers (swallow a company), not a market.

Common pitfalls
Choosing dramatic verbs (“conquered”) instead of the accepted business collocation.

Final Answer
captured