Like the rest of Chennai, our apartment has a water crisis. When the Secretary…
2024
Like the rest of Chennai, our apartment has a water crisis. When the Secretary suggested installing another bore well, the President did not agree _1_ him. Last week the executive committee failed to agree _2_ a common plan of action. The contractor needed the approval of the executive committee _3_ he could start installing another bore well. As he had misappropriated the funds on an earlier occasion, the President did not approve _4_ his proposal.
Fill in the 2nd blank
- A.
on
- B.
for
- C.
with
- D.
to
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
In English, several verbs pair with a fixed preposition depending on what follows: a person, an opinion, a plan, or someone else's proposal. The verb 'agree' takes 'with' before a person, 'on' (or 'upon') before a plan, decision, or topic being jointly settled, and 'to' before accepting someone else's proposal or suggestion.
Here the blank is followed by 'a common plan of action' — a plan the executive committee is jointly trying to settle, not a person and not someone else's proposal. That calls for 'agree on'.
Blank 1 in the same passage ('did not agree _1_ him') is followed by a person, so it correctly takes 'agree with', confirming 'with' pairs with people, not plans.
'Agree to' is reserved for accepting someone else's proposal or suggestion (e.g., 'I agree to your proposal'), a different relationship from settling on a plan together.
'For' does not combine with 'agree' in this sense at all; it marks purpose or reason in other contexts.
So the correct preposition for 'failed to agree _2_ a common plan of action' is 'on'.