The chairman is too much … an idealist for coming late.

Analyze the question: The sentence is "The chairman is too much ___ an idealist for coming late." We need the preposition that fits the structure "too much of a + noun."

Explain the concept: In English, the expression "too much of a(n) + noun" is a fixed construction. It means that someone has a quality to an excessive degree.

Examples:

• He is too much of a coward to speak up.
• She is too much of a perfectionist to submit unfinished work.

The word "of" is the only preposition that works in this pattern.

Step-by-step solution:

1. The gap comes after "too much" and before "an idealist."
2. The pattern "too much ___ a/an + noun" requires of.
3. Testing the other options: • A. "too much with an idealist": wrong, with does not fit this idiom. • B. "too much from an idealist": wrong, it makes no grammatical sense. • C. "too much about an idealist": wrong, it changes the meaning and breaks the structure. • D. "too much of an idealist": correct.

The complete sentence reads: "The chairman is too much of an idealist for coming late." (The meaning is that he is so idealistic that he would not allow himself to be late.)

Answer: The correct option is **D. Of.

Exam tip: Whenever you see "too much ___ a/an + noun," think "too much of a". The same applies to "much of a" and "enough of a," as in "not much of a player." JAMB often tests these fixed idiomatic phrases, so memorize them as chunks.