📅 Created: 24 Jul, 2023
🔄 Updated: 23 Aug, 2025

Mr. Arman was 'instigated' by his colleagues to speak against the director in the meeting. ?

Explanation

In the given sentence, the word 'instigated' implies that Mr. Arman was influenced or incited by his colleagues to take a specific action, which in this case is to speak against the director during a meeting. Among the provided options, the word that best captures this meaning is 'provoked' (A).

The term 'provoked' suggests that someone has been prompted or stirred up to respond in a particular way, often to take action that they might not have considered otherwise. In contrast, the other options do not align with this sense of incitement. 'Followed' (B) suggests adherence or compliance, which does not convey influence in a proactive manner. 'Restrained' (C) implies holding back or control, indicating a limitation rather than encouragement. Finally, 'protected' (D) denotes safeguarding which is opposite to the idea of being encouraged to speak out against someone.

Thus, 'provoked' accurately reflects the active role of Mr. Arman's colleagues in encouraging him to express dissent, making it the correct choice to complement the context of the sentence.