In the War and Peace passage, choose the correct word to complete the clause "The theme of war, however, is _____ to the story of family existence".

Introduction / Context:
The passage now contrasts the war scenes in War and Peace with the story of family life. It states that the theme of war is blank to the story of family existence. The missing word must indicate that war, though important, is less central than the personal and domestic narrative. The question tests whether we know vocabulary describing levels of importance or rank between different themes in a work of art.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The sentence compares the theme of war with the story of family existence.
• The main idea is that family life is the central story.
• Options are inordinate, subordinate, audacious, judicious, parallel.
• The word must show lower rank or secondary importance for the theme of war.

Concept / Approach:
The word subordinate means lower in rank or secondary in importance. When we say something is subordinate to something else, we mean that it is less central. This fits perfectly with the idea that war is not the main subject, but a background or supporting theme. Our approach is to insert each option and see which one expresses the intended relationship of lesser importance while remaining grammatically correct with the preposition to.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Try inordinate to the story. Inordinate means excessive, and the phrase inordinate to is not standard. Step 2: Try subordinate to the story. Subordinate to means secondary to, which fits both meaning and grammar. Step 3: Try audacious to the story. Audacious means bold or daring, and the structure audacious to is not correct. Step 4: Try judicious to the story. Judicious means wise, and again the preposition to does not fit here. Step 5: Try parallel to the story. Parallel to would mean equal and running alongside, not secondary or less important. Step 6: Conclude that subordinate is the only option that is both idiomatic with to and aligned with the meaning.

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, recall common literary comments such as The political background is subordinate to the love story. This is a very typical usage. The pattern theme A is subordinate to theme B is well established. None of the other adjectives form a standard pattern with to in this context. Therefore, the full clause the theme of war, however, is subordinate to the story of family existence is exactly what one would expect in such a description.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Inordinate: Means excessive and usually appears in phrases like inordinate delay, not inordinate to something, so it fails grammatically and semantically. Audacious: Concerns bold behavior, not relative importance, and does not take to in this way. Judicious: Means wise or sensible, but The theme of war is judicious to the story is meaningless. Parallel: Although grammatically possible with to, it conveys equality, not the idea that war is less central than family life. Thus, only subordinate expresses the required relationship.

Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates may pick parallel because they notice the preposition to and think it fits. However, they forget that the passage is stressing that war is less central. Another pitfall is ignoring the meaning of subordinate and treating all difficult words as equal. Learning key academic vocabulary like subordinate is crucial for scoring well in such contextual vocabulary questions.

Final Answer:
The correct answer is subordinate, completing the statement that the theme of war is subordinate to the story of family existence.