In spite of the vicissitudes of life, she never … from her plan

Analyze the question

The sentence is: "In spite of the vicissitudes of life, she never ........... from her plan." We need a verb that fits with the preposition from and means to stray away from a course or plan.

Explain the concept

Vicissitudes means ups and downs, or changes of fortune. So the sentence says that even though life changed and was difficult, she stuck to her plan.

Now check each option:

• A. evaded: means to avoid or escape something. It is transitive, so we say "evaded the question", not "evaded from". It does not fit.
• B. detracted: means to reduce the value of something. It is used as "detract from the value of...", but it needs something as the thing being reduced. "She detracted from her plan" does not mean she abandoned it, so it is wrong in meaning.
• C. deviated: means to depart from an established course, and it takes from naturally: "deviate from a plan, rule or path". This fits well.
• D. detoured: means to take a roundabout route. It is not normally followed by "from" in this way, and it is used for physical routes.

Solution

"She never deviated from her plan" means she never strayed from her plan, in spite of life's ups and downs. This matches both the meaning and the grammar.

Answer: C. deviated

Tip: Learn the collocation "deviate from" (a plan, a rule, a norm). In WASSCE lexis questions, the preposition after the blank often gives the answer away. Also remember "detract from" (reduce value) and "evade" (no preposition).