The smaller boys had always drawn back in fear when the bully raised a fist, but this time they did not ________

Analyze the question

The sentence sets up a contrast: "had always drawn back in fear... but this time they did not ____." So the blank needs a word that means draw back in fear, because the sentence says that this time they did NOT do that.

Explain the concept

This is a contrast (the word "but") question. The blank must repeat the idea of the first clause, and the "did not" negates it. To find the answer, ask which word means the same as "drew back in fear."

Check each option

• A. advance: means to move forward. "They did not advance" would mean they stayed back, which is the same as before. That doesn't contrast with "drew back."
• B. agree: has no link to drawing back in fear.
• C. retaliate: means to hit back. "They did not retaliate" would mean they stayed passive, which again matches the earlier behaviour instead of contrasting with it.
• D. recoil: means to shrink or draw back in fear or disgust. "This time they did not recoil" means they stood their ground, which contrasts with "always drawn back in fear."

Answer

The correct word is recoil, which is option D.

Tip

In "but this time they did not ___" questions, find the word that repeats the earlier action. The negative "did not" then creates the contrast. Always test your choice by reading the full sentence aloud and checking that it makes sense.