Question

Fill in the blank with the correct option. 
The manager’s decision to cut staff was met with .......... from the employees, who felt it was unfair and poorly timed.

• A. elation
• B. gratitude
• C. resentment
• D. admiration

Hint:

Pay attention to emotional tone clues in the sentence—negative situations call for negative emotions like “resentment” or “frustration.”

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

The manager’s decision to cut staff was met with resentment from the employees, who felt it was unfair and poorly timed.

To fill in the blank correctly, we analyze the context of the sentence:

• The decision to cut staff is described as being met negatively by the employees.
• Options like elation and gratitude are positive emotions, which do not match the described reaction.
• The feeling of unfairness and poor timing aligns with negative emotions.
• Resentment represents a feeling of bitterness or anger resulting from unfair treatment, fitting the context.

Therefore, the correct choice is resentment.

Answer 2

The manager’s decision to cut staff was met with resentment from the employees, who felt it was unfair and poorly timed.

Explanation: The correct word to fill in the blank is resentment. The context of the sentence indicates a negative reaction from the employees towards the manager's decision, as it was perceived to be unfair and ill-timed. The word 'resentment' means feeling bitterness or anger at being treated unfairly, which aligns perfectly with the given scenario.

Option	Contextual Meaning
elation	Feeling of great happiness
gratitude	Feeling of thanks
resentment	Feeling of anger or bitterness at being treated unfairly
admiration	Feeling of respect or approval