Select a suitable option to complete the sentence:
Any political leader who allows nepotism to flourish should be subject to ______.
a. autopsy
b. stringency
c. stricture
d. punishment
e. condemnation

Hint: The way to look for the answer is to find out which of the given words means that he should be questioned and faulted. The answer to that question will give you the correct answer.

Complete answer:
 In the given sentence, there is one blank. That blank is to be filled with a noun, as the noun is missing from the given sentence. In order to understand what we need to fill the blank with, we need to understand the meaning of the sentence.

In the given sentence, the idea of nepotism is being talked about. The word ‘nepotism’ refers to ‘the practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs’. The profession of politics is a very influential profession, so the sentence suggests that any political leader who endorses nepotism should be subject to something. This means that the political leader should be criticized heavily for supporting it.

Now, we know what we are looking for. Let’s look at the given options-
a. autopsy - The word ‘autopsy’ refers to ‘a post-mortem examination to discover the cause of death or the extent of disease', so this word does not fit into the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
b. stringency - The word ‘stringency’ refers to ‘rigorously binding or exacting; strict; severe', so this word does not fit into the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
c. stricture - The word ‘stricture’ refers to ‘a restriction on a person or activity', so this word does not fit into the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
d. punishment - The word ‘punishment’ refers to ‘the infliction or imposition of a penalty as retribution for an offense', so this word does not fit into the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
e. condemnation - The word ‘condemnation’ refers to ‘the expression of very strong disapproval; censure', so this word fits perfectly into the given sentence. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.

Note:
 Choose the most appropriate option given the context of the sentence. Make sure all the meanings are aligning with each other and work with each other perfectly.