Directions: Each of the sentences in the following items has an underlined word, followed by four choices. Select the most appropriate option that improves/corrects the underlined word in the context of the sentence, and mark your response on the Answer Sheet accordingly.
The domineering manager behaved in a **paternal** manner with his subordinates, not allowing them to decide for themselves.
- Aprim
- Bpetulant
- Cpresumptuous
- Dpaternalistic
Explanation
A manager who behaves in a "paternal" manner while "not allowing them to decide for themselves" exercises controlling, father-knows-best authority. "Paternalistic" denotes precisely this: restricting others' freedom under the guise of caring for them. "Prim" (stiffly formal), "petulant" (childishly irritable) and "presumptuous" (overstepping bounds) miss the fatherly-control nuance. "Paternalistic" is the correct correction.