Question

Select the most appropriate set of words from the given choices to fill in the blanks.
The high cutoff marks this year have ___ college admission seekers to either ___ for lesser known colleges or change their subject preferences.

• A. cajoled, ask
• B. pressured, sit
• C. forced, settle
• D. strained, compromise

Hint:

Focus on the fixed phrase "settle for" in the second blank.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

A quick way to solve fill in the blank pairs is to test each blank separately before checking the pair together. Look at the second blank first: "either ___ for lesser known colleges." The phrase "settle for" is a fixed English collocation meaning to accept something less than ideal, which instantly points to option C. No other second word (ask, sit, compromise) pairs naturally with "for lesser known colleges" the way "settle for" does.

Now confirm the first blank: "high cutoff marks have ___ college admission seekers." Forced fits perfectly, since it conveys an external, unavoidable pressure caused by the cutoff, matching the compulsory outcome described later in the sentence (settle or change preferences).

Checking the remaining options against this test: cajoled implies persuasion through charm, which cutoffs cannot do; pressured is close but "sit for" breaks the idiom; strained is an unusual collocation with people as the object.

Let's summarize:

• Test the fixed collocation "settle for" first, it eliminates three options immediately.
• Confirm the first blank fits the compulsory tone of the sentence.

This collocation first approach is faster than evaluating every option from scratch.