Read the passage given below and complete it by selecting the right words from…
2023
Read the passage given below and complete it by selecting the right words from the choices given to match them to the numbered blanks.
While a certain 101 attitude can be detected in the 102 of fast food in the narratives of the established 103 , the popular writings which appear in cookbooks and dailies 104 the virtues of fast food. A quick 105 through some of the recipes published in ‘Metro Plus’ in The Hindu, a 106 Indian newspaper, will show the importance given to the time 107 to cook as well as the appliances which are 108 in cooking. On the cover of a popular ‘Readymade Paneer’, I have come across the 109 ‘no cooking required’. All that is required is heating the food in a microwave oven. This is probably the other end of the 110 of food writing in India where minimalism has become the buzzword. More importantly, their entry into the group of Indian English writers also signals a significant shift in the way we look at Indian writing in English.
Choose the word that best completes blank 108.
Answer: A. used — ConceptIn a cloze passage, the best word must satisfy both grammar and contextual meaning. For a passive construction of the form “are + past participle,” the…
- A.
used
- B.
not used
- C.
left
- D.
More than one of the above
- E.
None of the above
Attempted by 1 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Concept
In a cloze passage, the best word must satisfy both grammar and contextual meaning.
For a passive construction of the form “are + past participle,” the participle should express what is done with the noun.
Application
The clause is “the appliances which are ___ in cooking.” Here, “appliances” are things employed for the purpose of cooking.
The past participle “used” completes the passive phrase “are used” and gives the intended meaning “are employed in cooking.”
Contrast
“Not used” reverses the intended statement by saying that the appliances are not employed.
“Left” normally conveys remaining, abandonment, or placement and does not express the intended function of the appliances here.
“More than one of the above” would require at least two listed completions to be acceptable, which the grammar-and-context test does not support.
“None of the above” would require every listed completion to fail, which the grammar-and-context test does not support.
Cross-check
Substitution gives: “the appliances which are used in cooking.” The sentence is grammatical and coherent with the passage’s discussion of cooking time and appliances.
Therefore, the word is “used.”