Despite his initial hesitation, Rehman's ____________ to contribute to the success of the project never wavered. Select the most appropriate option to complete the above sentence. A. ambivalence B. satisfaction C. resolve D. revolve

GATE 2025 · General Aptitude · Most Appropriate Word · easy

Answer: C. resolve

1. Identify the grammatical role and semantic need: The blank follows a possessive (Rehman's) and precedes the infinitive phrase 'to contribute', so it must be a noun. The predicate 'never wavered' requires something that can be firm or unsteady — a mental commitment or emotion.
2. Eliminate poor options: A. ambivalence — means mixed feelings (already unstable by definition); saying ambivalence never wavered contradicts the word's meaning. B. satisfaction — a feeling of fulfilment, not a commitment; awkward with 'to contribute never wavered'. D. revolve — a verb, cannot fill a noun slot; also means to rotate, entirely unrelated.
3. Confirm C. resolve: C. resolve — noun meaning firm determination. 'Rehman's resolve to contribute to the success of the project never wavered.' This is grammatically perfect and semantically fits: despite initial hesitation he remained steadfast. This matches a classic contrastive sentence pattern.