Please fill the blanks with the help of correct word from pairs given below and complete the sentence:
(elicit / illicit; council / counsel; hoard / horde; dependents / defendants)
(a) He was charged with _______ sale of narcotics.
(b) The Chief Minister was given a ________ to keep off the epidemic.
(c) A _________ of terrorists have attacked the army base.
(d) The _________ of the university employees are granted full free-fellowship.

a. "elicit" means "to evoke a reaction" while "illicit" means "illegal/forbidden by law". For the given sentence, "illicit" is the right choice.

b. "council" means "a group of people selected for a certain administrative job", whereas a "counsel" means "to give advice". Concerning the given sentence, "counsel" is the correct choice.

c. "hoard" means "to store", and "horde" means "a large group of people". Thus, "A horde of terrorists" will be the correct phrasing.

d. "The dependents of the university employees" is the right choice for the given sentence.

Hence, the answer is option D.