The CEO was criticized for surrounding himself with obsequious ______ who never challenged his strategic missteps.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. sycophants
- Step 1: A 'sycophant' is a person who acts obsequiously toward someone important in order to gain advantage; a yes-man. Surrounding oneself with sycophants isolates leadership from constructive criticism and realistic assessments. Answer: sycophants. Why not the others: "adversaries in power" are opponents or rivals who actively challenge and dispute leadership decisions; "dissidents of policy" are people who strongly disagree with official policy and voice opposition; "iconoclasts at work" are individuals who attack cherished beliefs, conventions, or traditional institutions.
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More Idiomatic Collocations and Dependent Prepositions questions
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