Fill in the Blanks Questions and Answers

Q: To those of us who had always thought him timid, his ___ came as a surprise.

The word is intrepidity.The sentence contrasts what people expected (he was timid) with what surprised them. The surprise must be the opposite of timidity, which is intrepidity, fearlessness or boldness.'Inability' and 'inertness' (lack of action) would fit a timid man and would not be a surprise. 'Inevitability' (being certain to happen) is not a personal quality that can be contrasted with timidity at all.

Q: Fate smiles ...... those who untiringly grapple with stark realities of life.

Correct answer: onSmile on is the fixed idiom for showing favour, and it is the form the proverb takes: fate smiles on those who….One smiles at a person one is amused by, but smile with, over and round are not English in this sense.

Q: The miser gazed ...... at the pile of gold coins in front of him.

Correct answer: AvidlyA miser gazing at his gold looks with greed, and avidly is the adverb for eager, hungry attention.Admiringly and thoughtfully would make him a connoisseur rather than a miser, and earnestly describes sincerity, not desire.

Q: Catching the earlier train will give us the ...... to do some shopping.

Correct answer: ChanceChance to do something is the standard pattern for an opportunity created by circumstance - here, by catching the earlier train.Luck and possibility are not followed by a to-infinitive in this way, and occasion means a particular event rather than an opening in one's day.

Q: I saw a ...... of cows in the field.

Correct answer: HerdEnglish uses a different collective noun for each kind of animal, and cattle go in a herd.A flock is of sheep or birds, a swarm of insects, and group is too general to be the tested answer.

Q: The grapes are now ...... enough to be picked.

Correct answer: RipeFruit ready to be picked is ripe; the word is used of fruit and of little else.Mature suits a person or a tree rather than the grapes themselves, and ready and advanced do not carry the specific sense of fruit fit to eat.

Q: Success in this examination depends ...... hard work alone.

Correct answer: OnDepend is always followed by on or upon.No other preposition is possible with this verb, which is what makes the question a test of collocation rather than of meaning.

Q: My uncle decided to take ...... and my sister to the market.

Correct answer: MeThe pronoun is the object of take, so the objective form is required. Removing and my sister makes it audible: take me to the market.I is a subject form, mine a possessive, and myself is reflexive, which needs the subject to be the same person.

Q: If you smuggle goods into the country, they may be ...... by the customs authority.

Correct answer: ConfiscatedGoods seized by an authority are confiscated; the verb takes the goods as its object.People, not goods, are punished and fined, and possessed does not carry the sense of official seizure.

Q: Man does not live by ...... alone.

Correct answer: BreadThe saying is fixed: man does not live by bread alone, where bread stands for material sustenance generally.Food, meals and diet all give the literal sense but destroy the proverb, which is what the question is testing.

Direction for [ Question No: 21 To 21 ] :

Choose the most appropriate alternative from the options given below to complete the following sentence:

21.

To those of us who had always thought him timid, his ___ came as a surprise.

A.intrepidity
B.inevitability
C.inability
D.inertness

Exam Year(s)

GATE AE - 2012, GATE AG - 2012,

Answer: A

The word is intrepidity.

The sentence contrasts what people expected (he was timid) with what surprised them. The surprise must be the opposite of timidity, which is intrepidity, fearlessness or boldness.

'Inability' and 'inertness' (lack of action) would fit a timid man and would not be a surprise. 'Inevitability' (being certain to happen) is not a personal quality that can be contrasted with timidity at all.

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Direction for [ Question No: 22 To 30 ] :

Pick out the most effective word(s) from the given words to fill in the blank to make the sentence meaningfully complete.

22.

Fate smiles ...... those who untiringly grapple with stark realities of life.

A.With
B.over
C.on
D.round

Answer: C

Correct answer: on

Smile on is the fixed idiom for showing favour, and it is the form the proverb takes: fate smiles on those who….

One smiles at a person one is amused by, but smile with, over and round are not English in this sense.

Discuss in Forum

23.

The miser gazed ...... at the pile of gold coins in front of him.

A.Avidly
B.Admiringly
C.Thoughtfully
D.Earnestly

Answer: A

Correct answer: Avidly

A miser gazing at his gold looks with greed, and avidly is the adverb for eager, hungry attention.

Admiringly and thoughtfully would make him a connoisseur rather than a miser, and earnestly describes sincerity, not desire.

Discuss in Forum

24.

Catching the earlier train will give us the ...... to do some shopping.

A.Chance
B.Luck
C.Possibility
D.Occasion

Answer: A

Correct answer: Chance

Chance to do something is the standard pattern for an opportunity created by circumstance - here, by catching the earlier train.

Luck and possibility are not followed by a to-infinitive in this way, and occasion means a particular event rather than an opening in one's day.

Discuss in Forum

25.

I saw a ...... of cows in the field.

A.Group
B.Herd
C.Swarm
D.Flock

Answer: B

Correct answer: Herd

English uses a different collective noun for each kind of animal, and cattle go in a herd.

A flock is of sheep or birds, a swarm of insects, and group is too general to be the tested answer.

Discuss in Forum

26.

The grapes are now ...... enough to be picked.

A.Ready
B.Mature
C.Ripe
D.Advanced

Answer: C

Correct answer: Ripe

Fruit ready to be picked is ripe; the word is used of fruit and of little else.

Mature suits a person or a tree rather than the grapes themselves, and ready and advanced do not carry the specific sense of fruit fit to eat.

Discuss in Forum

27.

Success in this examination depends ...... hard work alone.

A.At
B.Over
C.For
D.On

Answer: D

Correct answer: On

Depend is always followed by on or upon.

No other preposition is possible with this verb, which is what makes the question a test of collocation rather than of meaning.

Discuss in Forum

28.

My uncle decided to take ...... and my sister to the market.

A.I
B.Mine
C.Me
D.Myself

Answer: C

Correct answer: Me

The pronoun is the object of take, so the objective form is required. Removing and my sister makes it audible: take me to the market.

I is a subject form, mine a possessive, and myself is reflexive, which needs the subject to be the same person.

Discuss in Forum

29.

If you smuggle goods into the country, they may be ...... by the customs authority.

A.Possessed
B.Punished
C.Confiscated
D.Fined

Answer: C

Correct answer: Confiscated

Goods seized by an authority are confiscated; the verb takes the goods as its object.

People, not goods, are punished and fined, and possessed does not carry the sense of official seizure.

Discuss in Forum

30.

Man does not live by ...... alone.

A.Food
B.Bread
C.Meals
D.Diet

Answer: B

Correct answer: Bread

The saying is fixed: man does not live by bread alone, where bread stands for material sustenance generally.

Food, meals and diet all give the literal sense but destroy the proverb, which is what the question is testing.

Discuss in Forum

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Fill in the Blanks Questions and Answers

Direction for [ Question No: 21 To 21 ] :

Direction for [ Question No: 22 To 30 ] :

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