The modern-day student is extremely savvy with technology. Students read quite…
2022
The modern-day student is extremely savvy with technology. Students read quite a bit because of social media, and they write because of their affinity for internet platforms. However, one skill that has been thoroughly affected is listening. They are extremely poor (4) _____ listeners. If this issue is not addressed, what we may be heading to in the future is a huge chunk of people across the globe with poor listening skills and a huge number of passive listeners.
Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 4.
Answer: B. active — ConceptIn a cloze test, the best word must fit both the local grammar and the passage’s overall meaning. When several adjectives can modify the same noun,…
- A.
passive
- B.
active
- C.
distinctive
- D.
demonstrative
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept
In a cloze test, the best word must fit both the local grammar and the passage’s overall meaning. When several adjectives can modify the same noun, standard collocation and the surrounding contrast determine the intended choice.
Application
The sentence describes a listening skill that modern-day students perform poorly. The later warning about a future with many passive listeners contrasts weak engagement with the skilled, attentive form of listening, so the natural phrase is “poor active listeners.”
Contrast
Passive refers to receiving sound with little deliberate engagement; “poor passive listeners” would describe students as bad at being passive and would not support the later warning about passive listening.
Active refers to attentive, responsive engagement with a speaker; being poor at active listening explains why passive listening may become widespread.
Distinctive means noticeably characteristic or different, which describes recognizability rather than a mode of listening.
Demonstrative means openly expressive in behaviour or emotion, which describes outward expression rather than attentive listening.
Result
The blank is completed by “active”: “They are extremely poor active listeners.”