Select the option that can replace the highlighted part of the sentence grammatically and contextually correctly. If no replacement is required, select “No Replacement”.
They were discussing about the new policy in the meeting.

The correct answer is were discussing.

Let's analyze the grammar of the highlighted phrase "discussing about" in the sentence:
"They were discussing about the new policy in the meeting."

1. Understanding the Verb "Discuss":
The verb "discuss" is a transitive verb, which means it must be followed directly by its object without any intervening preposition. Therefore, we say "discuss something" rather than "discuss about something". Adding the preposition "about" after "discuss" is grammatically redundant and incorrect.

2. Evaluating the Options:

• "were discussing": This option correctly removes the unnecessary preposition "about", making the sentence grammatically correct: "They were discussing the new policy in the meeting."
• "published on": This changes the meaning of the sentence entirely and is contextually inappropriate.
• "were knowing about": "Know" is a stative verb and is typically not used in the continuous form ("were knowing") in this context.
• "made discussion about": This is phrasing that is less idiomatic and more wordy than the direct verb form "were discussing".

Therefore, the highlighted part "were discussing about" should be replaced by "were discussing" to make the sentence grammatically correct.