Directions: (12-15): In the following passage, some of the words have been left out. Read the passage carefully and select the correct answer for the given blank out of the four alternatives.

The ferment in U.S. politics appears _____(12)____ after one of the most controversial election campaigns, with outgoing President Donald Trump refusing to concede to his victorious rival, Democratic President elect Joe Biden. The irony is that this outcome, which is inflicting damage on the fabric of U.S. democratic systems, was all but a _____(13)___ conclusion, given the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on mail-in voting, and Mr. Trump’s repeated and ominous warnings that he would not accept such votes as legitimate. The tectonic shift toward mail-in voting in the 2020 election presumably stemmed from voters’ desire to ___(14)___ by social distancing norms through the pandemic, which has had a far worse

impact in the U.S. than elsewhere. Yet apparently the same world view that led Mr. Trump and his supporters to ___(15)__ mask-wearing, social distancing and a ban on large gatherings has led them to dismiss the pandemic as a Democratic conspiracy to “steal the election” from the incumbent, allegedly through massive voting fraud.

Q:

Q14

• 1
  Ascertain
• 2
  Abide
• 3
  Dictated
• 4
  Flout
• 5
  Retort