Out of the given options, choose the most appropriate one to fill in the blank.- The two countries went to war with one another...... oil prices?

Appeared in: DHS Staff Nurse - 2018 (Shift-2nd)

Explanation

The preposition 'over' is correctly used to specify the cause, subject, or reason for a conflict, argument, or disagreement.
The phrase 'to go to war over something' is a standard and idiomatic expression in English.
In the given sentence, 'oil prices' represent the issue that caused the war, making 'over' the most logical and grammatically correct choice.

Option B: 'From' indicates an origin or starting point. It is not used to denote the cause of a dispute in this context.
Option C: 'With' indicates accompaniment or opposition. The sentence already uses 'with one another' to identify the opponents. Adding 'with oil prices' would be redundant and illogical.
Option D: 'By' indicates the agent or method used to perform an action. It would incorrectly suggest that oil prices were the entity that waged the war.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Correct usage of prepositions to indicate cause or reason as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
While this is an English grammar question, clear and precise communication is a critical skill in nursing. Using the correct prepositions ensures that documentation, patient instructions, and communication with colleagues are unambiguous.
For example, a nurse might document that a patient is 'anxious over their diagnosis,' not 'anxious with their diagnosis.' The correct preposition clarifies the source of the anxiety.
What if? If a nurse wrote in a patient's chart, 'Patient fell from the bed,' it clearly indicates the origin of the fall. If they wrote 'Patient fell by the bed,' it would mean the location of the fall, changing the entire meaning and potentially affecting the incident report and follow-up actions.

How to Approach the Question

Read the sentence carefully and identify the relationship between the main clause ('The two countries went to war') and the phrase that follows the blank ('oil prices').
Recognize that 'oil prices' is the reason or cause for the war.
Test each preposition in the blank to see which one best expresses this cause-and-effect relationship.
Evaluate 'went to war over oil prices.' This is a common idiom meaning the prices were the subject of the conflict. It fits perfectly.
Evaluate the other options: 'from oil prices,' 'with oil prices,' and 'by oil prices.' Note that these phrases are not idiomatic and create illogical meanings.
Select the preposition that forms the most logical and standard English expression.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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Practise the full DHS Staff Nurse - 2018 (Shift-2nd)

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.