Comprehension: In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read…
2024
Comprehension:
In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
From the beginning (1)_________ the eighteenth century, the ladies of European cities covered (2)_______ faces in layers of paint and powder. This particular fashion was largely brought (3) __________ by the urgent need to disguise the ravages of smallpox, (4)_________ left their faces pitted and scarred. During this same period, the ‘beauty spot’ was introduced to cover (5) __________ a facial defect.
Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 2.
- A.
their
- B.
there
- C.
them
- D.
they’re
Attempted by 52 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Understanding Possessive Adjectives
The blank requires a word that indicates possession, showing that the faces belong to the ladies mentioned earlier in the sentence.
Their: This is a possessive adjective used to indicate that something belongs to a group of people (in this case, "the ladies"). Since the sentence describes the ladies covering their own faces, "their" is the correct choice.
There: This refers to a place or location. It does not indicate possession.
Them: This is an object pronoun. While it refers to a group, it cannot act as a possessive adjective to modify the noun "faces" in this grammatical structure.
They're: This is a contraction of "they are." It does not indicate possession and would make the sentence grammatically incorrect.
Solution
The most appropriate word to fill in blank number 2 is their.