Read the following passage and select the most appropriate option to fill in…
2022
Read the following passage and select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 2.
The modern-day student is extremely ___(1)___ with technology. They do read quite a bit because of social media. While their writing skills may not be top-notch, they do write, courtesy ___(2)___ affinity to various platforms on the internet. However, one skill that has been ___(3)___ affected is listening skills.
- A.
their
- B.
they’re
- C.
dare
- D.
there
Attempted by 1 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Concept: In a cloze/fill-in-the-blank grammar test, the word that fits a blank is decided by its grammatical role in the surrounding sentence. A possessive determiner (my, your, his, her, its, our, their) is required immediately before a noun to show whose thing is being referred to. A contraction (they're = they are), a locative adverb (there), and a main verb (dare) each play a different grammatical role and cannot substitute for a possessive determiner.
Application: In the clause "...they do write, courtesy ___ affinity to various platforms on the internet", the blank sits directly before the noun "affinity". A word is needed here that shows whose affinity is meant — the modern-day students' affinity. "Their" is the possessive determiner that correctly fills this role, giving "their affinity to various platforms" = the students' liking for various online platforms.
Cross-check — why each other option fails at this exact position:
"they're" expands to "they are" (pronoun + verb); substituting it gives "courtesy they are affinity", which is not a grammatical noun phrase.
"dare" is a main verb meaning to have the courage to do something; a verb cannot sit directly before a noun as its determiner, so "courtesy dare affinity" is meaningless.
"there" is a locative adverb pointing to a place; it cannot express possession, so "courtesy there affinity" fails to say whose affinity is meant.
Result: only the possessive determiner "their" grammatically completes "their affinity to various platforms", so blank number 2 is filled by that option.