NIMCET 2009 — English PYQ
NIMCET | English | 2009Fill in the blank
I could not_______him to attend the meeting.
Choose the correct answer:
- A.
prevail over
- B.
prevail upon
(Correct Answer) - C.
prevail about
- D.
prevail in
prevail upon
Explanation
-
Phrasal Verb Meaning: The phrasal verb "prevail upon" (or sometimes "prevail on") means to persuade or induce someone to do something.
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Contextual Fit: In this sentence, the speaker is saying they could not convince or persuade "him" to attend the meeting. Therefore, "prevail upon" is the only grammatically and contextually correct choice.
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Analysis of Other Options:
-
Prevail over: This means to defeat an opponent or to triumph over a challenge (e.g., "Truth will prevail over lies"). It does not mean to persuade.
-
Prevail about / in: These are not standard idiomatic expressions in English grammar for this context.
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Logical Rule:
The usage can be summarized by the following relationship:

