Choose the verb that completes the idiomatic phrase meaning to elucidate:
Archival documents recently discovered in Lisbon may ________ new light on early trade interactions between the Malacca Sultanate and European powers.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. shed
Answer: shed. Why not the others: 'shine light on' is more colloquial; 'throw light on' is less common; 'cast light on' is possible, but 'shed light on' is the quintessential formal pairing.
- Step 1: Identify the academic idiom: revealing explanatory information that clarifies an obscure historical subject is expressed as 'shed light on' (or 'cast light on').
- Step 2: In formal academic testing, 'shed light on' is the primary standard collocation.
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