Choose the correct option to fill in the blank in the given sentence:
He did not _________ to my request.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → accede
Accede (to) means to agree to a request or demand, often after some hesitation. "To my request" shows that the verb must mean agreeing.
Example: The principal acceded to the students' request for an extra holiday.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: exceed — Incorrect. Exceed means to go beyond a limit. (Accede and exceed sound alike: accede means agree; exceed means go beyond.)
Example: Do not exceed the speed limit.
Option 3: adapt — Incorrect. Adapt means to change so as to suit new conditions; one adapts to a place, not to a request. (Adapt and adopt look alike: adapt means adjust; adopt means take up as one's own.)
Example: Polar bears have adapted to extreme cold.
Option 4: adopt — Incorrect. Adopt means to take up an idea or method, or to take a child as one's own; it is not followed by "to a request".
Example: The school has adopted a new timetable.