Direction : In the following passage, some of the words have been left out.…
2024
Direction : In the following passage, some of the words have been left out. First read the passage over and try to understand what it is about. Then fill in the blanks with the help of the alternatives given.
More than 8 lakh people have been displaced in Kerala, as the death toll from the worst flooding to hit the southern Indian state jumped to at least 370, with losses to infrastructure _________ at almost $3bn. As the rains subsided on Sunday, relief efforts focused on rescuing those ________in isolated places for days and airdropping _________ to others, police and officials said. Kerala has been lashed by torrential monsoon rains _________ the end of May, triggering landslides and flash floods that have swept away entire villages ___________downpours since August 8 have killed more than 190 people and left thousands more stranded.
And airdropping _________ to others, police and officials said
- A.
supplies
- B.
assets
- C.
services
- D.
donations
Attempted by 1 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Concept: In a meaning-based cloze test, the blank must be filled with the word that best matches the real-world action or situation described around it — not just any word that is grammatically possible, but the one whose specific meaning fits the surrounding narrative.
Application: The passage describes disaster-relief operations after the Kerala floods — rescue teams reaching people stranded in isolated places, and relief teams delivering essential items to others by air ("airdropping _________ to others"). The word needed here must name a physical, deliverable item that can literally be dropped from the air to stranded people — food, water, medicine and similar essentials, which is exactly what "supplies" means.
"assets" names property or resources of monetary value that can be converted into cash — not physical relief items dropped from aircraft.
"services" names intangible work or aid performed for someone — a service cannot literally be airdropped, since only physical goods can be.
"donations" names voluntary contributions collected for a cause; it describes how goods are gathered, not what is specifically delivered by air to stranded people.
Cross-check: Re-reading the sentence with "supplies" — "airdropping supplies to others" — matches standard flood-relief reporting, where supplies (food, water, medicine) are the item airdropped, alongside the earlier action of rescuing people stranded in isolated places.