The officer was compelled to ------------------- the suspect’s car.

Analyze the question The sentence needs a verb that fits the meaning "take possession of by authority" and is also spelled correctly. Options C and D are not real words, so this is partly a spelling and vocabulary question.

Explain the concept

• Seize means to take hold of something by force or legal authority. Police and customs officers seize illegal goods, vehicles, or property.
• Cease means to stop or come to an end. For example, "The noise did not cease."
• Sieze is a common misspelling of seize.
• Sease is not an English word.

The spelling rule is "i before e, except after c, or when sounding like 'ay'." Seize is one of the exceptions, so it is spelled with ei.

Step-by-step solution

1. Look at the context: an officer, a suspect, and a car. This suggests an authority taking control of the car.
2. Test each option: • A. "compelled to seize the suspect's car" is correct in meaning and spelling. • B. "compelled to cease the suspect's car" makes no sense, because you cannot stop a car by "ceasing" it. • C. "sieze" is misspelled. • D. "sease" is not a word.
3. Only seize fits.

Answer: A. seize

Tip: Remember that "seize" and "weird" both break the i before e rule. A good memory phrase is: "The officer seized the thief's keys." Also, cease has the "s" sound and means "stop", while seize means "grab".