Directions: In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the…
2022
Directions: In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank. One day, a few hunters came into the forest and took the lion with them. They tied him up (1) ______ a tree. The lion was (2) ______ to get away and started to whimper. (3) ______, a mouse walked past and noticed the lion in trouble. He quickly ran and (4) ______ on the ropes to set the lion free. Both of them then (5) ______ into the jungle.
Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 5.
Answer: B. sped off — ConceptA narrative cloze must preserve both grammatical tense and contextual meaning. When a sequence is narrated in the simple past, each completed action…
- A.
speed away
- B.
sped off
- C.
speed up
- D.
speds out
Attempted by 2 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept
A narrative cloze must preserve both grammatical tense and contextual meaning.
When a sequence is narrated in the simple past, each completed action normally takes a simple-past verb form, and the chosen phrasal verb must express the intended action.
Application
The surrounding verbs—“came,” “took,” “tied,” “walked,” “noticed,” and “ran”—establish a past-time narrative. After the mouse frees the lion, the clause “Both of them then ______ into the jungle” describes their completed departure. “Sped off” is the simple-past form of “speed off” and means left quickly.
Contrast
“Speed away” expresses rapid departure but uses the base form “speed,” not a simple-past form.
“Sped off” expresses rapid departure and uses the simple-past form required by the narrative.
“Speed up” normally means increase pace and also uses the base form.
“Speds out” contains a nonstandard verb form and is not the usual expression for rapid departure.
Cross-check
Substitution gives: “Both of them then sped off into the jungle.” The verb agrees with the passage’s past-tense sequence, and the phrasal verb naturally describes leaving quickly.
Result
The most appropriate completion is “sped off.”