WAEC 2010 English Language · Question 33

The robbers were subjected … a thorough beating by the irate mob.

Question

From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that best completes each of the following sentences: The robbers were subjected..............a thorough beating by the irate mob.

A.to
B.by
C.with
D.for

Answer: A. to

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Analyze the question: The sentence needs a preposition that correctly follows the verb phrase "were subjected."

Explain the concept: The verb subject is followed by to when it means "to make someone experience something unpleasant."

The patient was subjected to many tests.
The workers were subjected to harsh treatment.

This is a fixed collocation: subject someone to something.

Solution:

A. to: "were subjected to a thorough beating" is correct and idiomatic.
B. by: "by" introduces the doer of the action, and here it is already used correctly later in the sentence ("by the irate mob"). It does not follow "subjected."
C. with: "subjected with" is not a valid collocation.
D. for: "subjected for" is also not used in standard English.

Complete sentence: The robbers were subjected to a thorough beating by the irate mob.

Answer: A. to

Tip: Learn verbs with their fixed prepositions as pairs. Examples: subject to, consist of, accuse of, prefer to, congratulate on. WASSCE, JAMB and NECO often test these.

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