It was the … of brakes that drew our attention.

1. Analyze the question The sentence is "It was the ___ of brakes that drew our attention." We need the word that most naturally describes the sound brakes make, which is a collocation question.

2. Explain the concept Some verbs and nouns of sound go naturally with particular things:

• Hooting goes with horns, owls, or crowds.
• Blaring goes with loud music, sirens, or horns.
• Screeching is a harsh, high-pitched sound, typical of tyres and brakes when a vehicle stops suddenly.
• Hammering goes with striking a nail or knocking on a door.

3. Step-by-step solution

• Brakes, when applied suddenly, make a sharp, high-pitched grating noise.
• Option A (hooting of brakes): brakes do not hoot, so this is wrong.
• Option B (blaring of brakes): blaring describes loud, continuous sound from horns or radios, not brakes.
• Option C (screeching of brakes): this is the standard phrase, and it fits the idea of a sudden sound that draws attention.
• Option D (hammering of brakes): hammering describes striking, not the sound of brakes.

4. Answer The correct option is C. screeching.

5. Tip Learn common sound collocations as pairs: screeching tyres/brakes, blaring horn/siren, hooting horn, roaring engine, hammering on the door. In JAMB "best completes the sentence" questions, ask yourself which word you would most often hear together with the noun.