Fill in the blank with the most appropriate option:
The new fee rule was so ______ that parents argued about it for weeks.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → contentious
An adjective is a word that describes a noun or a pronoun, for example a tall tree, the food is tasty.
Complete sentence: The new fee rule was so contentious that parents argued about it for weeks. The blank comes after “was so” and describes the subject, “the new fee rule”. The parents argued for weeks, so the rule did cause arguments.
| Option | What it tells | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) contentious (answer) | an adjective: likely to cause arguments | The plan to cut down the old banyan tree for a parking lot was contentious in our colony. |
| (2) contention | a noun: an argument, or an opinion someone argues for. A noun cannot describe the rule after “so” | The window seat was a cause of contention between the two brothers. |
| (3) contented | an adjective, but it means satisfied and happy | The old farmer looked contented after a good harvest. |
| (4) contentiously | an adverb: tells how an action is done, so it cannot describe a thing like a rule | The two members spoke contentiously at the society meeting. |