For this question, choose the option opposite in meaning to the word or phrase in italics.  The natives were allowed to stay.

Analyze the question: We need the word opposite in meaning to "natives" (the italicised word in the sentence "The natives were allowed to stay").

Explain the concept: A native is a person born in a particular place, someone who belongs to the land originally. Its opposite is someone who does not originally belong there: a foreigner, an outsider, or a newcomer.

Check each option:

• A. immigrants: people who come into a country to settle. They are not native to it, so this is an opposite, but it is a narrower term (they come to live permanently).
• B. foreigners: people from another country, which is the direct and general opposite of natives.
• C. indigenes: people native to a place. This is a synonym of natives, not an opposite.
• D. visitors: people who stay temporarily. They are not native, but the word focuses on length of stay, not origin.

Choosing between A, B and D: The contrast native versus non-native is about origin. "Foreigners" captures this most directly and is the standard opposite of "natives". "Immigrants" stresses moving in to settle, and "visitors" stresses a short stay, so both are less precise.

Answer: B. foreigners

Exam tip: In opposite-meaning questions, first eliminate the synonym (here, indigenes), because examiners often include it as a trap. Then pick the option that matches the core idea of the word (origin, not duration or purpose).