in spite of & regardless of

[joham]

A stable person should bear in mind that he must keep calm _______ what will happen afterwards.
A. as a result of B. in spite of
C. regardless of D. for fear of
The given answer is 'regardless of'.

How would the test question sound to native speakers? If it is fine, then do both B and C work for the sentence? Why?

Thank you in advance.

 

[SoothingDave]

"In spite of" could work in the sentence, but "spite" is an emotional state and it is strange to say one remains calm out of spite.

 

[Route21]

Hi joham

Following on from SoothingDave:

A. "as a result of" - this is "putting the cart before the horse". You can't be calm now, as a result of something that happens afterwards.

B. "in spite of" - this implies that something averse will definitely happen next - but you don't know that it will.

C. "regardless of" - this means "whatever happens next" and is the correct expression in English.

D. "for fear of" - This doesn't work, as the last thing that would make you calm would be "fear".

Hope this helps
R21