Fill in the Blanks Questions and Answers

Answer: B

The preposition is 'at'. We say 'at the end of March' for a point of time, as in 'at the end of the month'. 'On' is used with days and dates, 'in' with months and years as a whole ('in March'), and 'by' means not later than a time, which does not make sense with 'birthday is'. So 'at' is right.

Answer: D

The preposition is 'within'. 'She will graduate within 2 years' means not later than two years from now. 'Longer' is not a preposition, 'since' needs a past point of time, and 'between' needs two points to be named. So 'within' is the only option that fits.

Answer: C

Script is the written form of a language: the alphabet and the system of symbols by which the language is put in writing. So script and language are closely related, since a language is written in a script. Music, education and games may use language, but they are not related to it in the same direct way, and a sentence beginning with 'Script and language are closely related' is the natural reading. The answer is script, option C.

Scripts such as Devanagari, Roman and Brahmi are systems of writing for languages, and a language can change its script, as Turkish moved from Arabic to Roman letters in 1928.

Answer: B

The first sentence says that books and television are different, and the second says that ______ of them should replace the other. The sense is that no one of the two should take the place of the other, so the word that fits is 'neither', since 'neither of them' means not the one and not the other. 'None' is used for more than two things, 'either of them' would mean that one or the other should replace the other, which is the opposite, and 'both' would make no sense since each would replace itself. The answer is neither, option B.

Answer: D

The sentence says that another meeting is arranged in two weeks, and ______ the problem is getting worse. The word needed shows two things going on at the same time: in the time before the meeting, the problem becomes worse. 'Meanwhile' means in the time between, so it fits. 'Hence' and 'therefore' show a result, but the worsening problem is not the result of arranging a meeting, and 'because' would make the meeting the effect of the worsening and does not fit the grammar of the sentence. The answer is meanwhile, option D.

Answer: C

The sentence says that he can speak Serbian, English, French, Italian, German and Spanish, which is six languages. A person who speaks many languages is a polyglot. 'Monolingual' means knowing one language, 'bilingual' two and 'trilingual' three, so none of these fits a person with six languages. The answer is polyglot, option C.

Answer: B

The sentence says that individual rights and choices are being ______ by hooligans who claim to protect community interests, and that this is a serious threat to the rule of law and social harmony. Such a harmful trend needs a word meaning that the rights are violated or crushed, which is 'trampled upon'. 'Assisted', 'helped' and 'aided' all mean that the hooligans support the rights, which contradicts the idea of a threat to the rule of law. The answer is trampled upon, option B.

Answer: A

A harbinger is a sign that something is coming, so initial estimates that are poor can be called a harbinger of even tougher times ahead. A 'withholder' is one who holds something back, 'contraindication' is a medical term for a reason against giving a treatment, and 'incognizance' means a lack of awareness, so none of them fits the sense of a forecast. The answer is harbinger, option A.

Answer: A

The sentence says that she ______ visit her parents tomorrow, and the verb that follows is in the base form 'visit'. 'Is going to' gives a plan or intention in the future, followed by the base form, so 'She is going to visit her parents tomorrow' is correct. 'Shall be' and 'will be' need an -ing form or a participle after them ('shall be visiting'), and 'wants' needs 'to' before visit. The answer is 'is going to', option A.

Answer: C

A question that starts with 'does' uses the base form of the main verb, because 'does' carries the third person singular and the tense. So 'Does your father work in a library?' is correct. 'Working' needs 'is', 'works' repeats the third person ending already shown by 'does', and 'worked' is the past form and cannot follow 'does'. The answer is 'work', option C.