Select the noun completing the idiomatic phrase meaning to be victimized or ruined by:
Without robust digital cybersecurity frameworks, smaller credit unions easily fall ________ to sophisticated ransomware syndicates.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. prey
Answer: prey. Why not the others: 'fall victim to' is grammatically possible, but 'fall prey to' is the specific fixed expression; 'fall target' and 'fall trap' are ungrammatical.
- Step 1: Identify the fixed idiom with 'fall': the established idiom meaning to be vulnerable to or conquered/exploited by something harmful is 'fall prey to'.
- Step 2: The required word is 'prey' (Note: one says 'fall victim to', but 'fall prey to' is the standard biological/institutional metaphor).
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