… the court orders, he went ahead to build on that land.

Analyze the question

The sentence is: "__ the court orders, he went ahead to build on that land."

The blank needs a word or phrase that shows contrast. He built on the land even though the court had given orders against it. The word that follows is a noun phrase ("the court orders"), so the connector must be a preposition or prepositional phrase, not a conjunction.

Explain the concept

• In spite of + noun/noun phrase shows contrast, meaning "despite".
• Besides means "in addition to", which adds information and does not contrast.
• But for means "if it had not been for", which is used in conditional ideas (e.g., "But for the rain, we would have gone").
• Although shows contrast but must be followed by a clause (subject + verb), e.g., "Although the court gave orders, ...". It cannot be followed by a bare noun phrase.

Test each option

• A. "In spite of the court orders, he went ahead to build on that land." Correct meaning and grammar.
• B. "Besides the court orders, he went ahead..." Illogical, because it adds rather than contrasts.
• C. "But for the court orders, he went ahead..." Wrong, because "but for" implies he would have done something different, and the verb tense doesn't fit.
• D. "Although the court orders, he went ahead..." Grammatically wrong, since "although" needs a full clause.

Answer: A. In spite of

Exam tip: Remember "despite / in spite of + noun, although / even though + clause". If the word after the blank is a noun phrase and the sentence shows contrast, choose "in spite of" or "despite".