Choose the most appropriate option to fill in the blank in the given sentence:
The residents of the locality were seething ____ resentment over the inefficiency of the governing body, as it failed to uphold the promises made during the elections.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → with
Fixed preposition with "seethe":
- To seethe means to be filled with strong anger that one does not show openly.
- The feeling that fills a person takes with: seething with anger, rage, resentment.
- Deciding clue: the blank is followed by the feeling "resentment", and the cause comes later with "over".
- This sentence: the residents were full of resentment; the cause of the feeling is already given by "over the inefficiency of the governing body".
- Complete sentence: The residents of the locality were seething with resentment over the inefficiency of the governing body, as it failed to uphold the promises made during the elections.
Example: The players were seething with anger at the referee's decision.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: in — Incorrect. In shows place or position inside something; "seething in resentment" is not standard English.
Example: The keys are in the drawer.
Option 2: over — Incorrect. Over introduces the cause of the anger (seething over an insult), not the feeling itself; "seething over resentment over the inefficiency" makes no sense.
Example: The brothers quarrelled over the property.
Option 4: after — Incorrect. After shows a later time; it cannot introduce a feeling.
Example: We went for a walk after dinner.
Contrast: seethe with + the feeling (resentment); seethe over + the cause (the inefficiency).