Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: persuade
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This is a sentence completion question that focuses on choosing the most appropriate verb to describe what a lawyer does when he wants his client to accept a generous settlement offer. The situation is a professional legal context, and the missing word should match both the formality and the intention of the sentence. These questions test vocabulary, collocation, and sensitivity to context.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The natural, neutral verb for encouraging someone through argument or advice to do something is persuade. Lawyers routinely persuade clients, judges, or juries through reasoning. Draw is too vague, seduce has strong negative and mainly romantic or sexual connotations, and incite suggests provoking someone to aggressive or unlawful behaviour. Therefore, persuade is the only verb that fits the professional and logical tone of the sentence.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Understand the scenario: a lawyer is advising a client about a settlement offer.
Step 2: Identify the intended meaning: the lawyer is trying to get the client to agree to something that seems beneficial.
Step 3: Recall that persuade means to cause someone to do something through reasoning or argument.
Step 4: Test each option in the sentence: tried to draw his client, tried to seduce his client, tried to incite his client, tried to persuade his client.
Step 5: Notice that only persuade naturally collocates with client and accept a settlement offer in formal legal English.
Verification / Alternative check:
Think of similar contexts: A teacher persuades students to study, a doctor persuades a patient to follow treatment, and a mediator persuades parties to compromise. In all such professional situations, persuade fits perfectly. Neither seduce nor incite is used with such neutral or positive intentions. This pattern confirms that persuade is the correct answer for the sentence about the generous settlement offer.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
draw: Although we can draw someone toward something physically or metaphorically, it does not fit tightly with the structure draw someone to accept an offer, and it lacks the idea of reasoning.
seduce: This word usually involves leading someone into immoral behaviour or has a strong romantic meaning. Using it with lawyer and client in this context would be inappropriate and misleading.
incite: Incite is normally followed by words like violence, rebellion, or hatred. It suggests provoking someone to aggressive or wrongful actions, not accepting a beneficial legal offer.
Common Pitfalls:
Examinees sometimes choose seduce because they equate it loosely with attract or tempt, but in careful English usage seduce is strongly negative. Another pitfall is to ignore context and only check whether a verb can grammatically take an object. To succeed in vocabulary questions, always pay attention to register, tone, and typical word partners in the sentence. Here, the formal context of a lawyer client relationship clearly points to persuade as the safest and most accurate choice.
Final Answer:
The lawyer tried to persuade his client to accept the generous settlement offer.
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