Directions : A grammatically correct and contextually meaningful statement has…
2021
Directions : A grammatically correct and contextually meaningful statement has been given in each of the following questions. Five similar sentences have been placed next to each statement, one of which is contextually similar in meaning to the one given in the question. Choose the most appropriate sentence that conveys the same meaning as the given statement.
Long before the Constitution was enacted, the competence to regulate the functioning of religious bodies was perceived as an instance of sovereignty.
- A.
The failure to regulate the functioning of religious organizations was seen as an illustration of sovereignty long before the Constitution was enacted.
- B.
Long before the Constitution was repealed, the power to govern the operations of religious organizations was overlooked as an example of sovereignty.
- C.
Long before the Constitution was enacted, the ability to govern the functioning of religious organizations was seen as a symbol of sovereignty.
- D.
Long before the Constitution was ratified, the reluctance to control the running of religious organizations was considered an example of autonomy.
- E.
The power to regulate the functioning of religious organizations was hampered long before the Constitution was abrogated as an example of sovereignty.
Attempted by 1 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Concept: A sentence-equivalence (closest-in-meaning) item asks you to pick the option that preserves the original sentence's meaning intact. The test is semantic faithfulness on three load-bearing elements at once: the time/sequence marker, the agent-action (here, the capacity to act on something), and the way that action is characterized. Replacing any one of these with an antonym, a near-opposite, or a different concept changes the meaning even if the grammar stays clean.
Application: The given statement carries three anchors — (1) the timeline “long before the Constitution was enacted”, (2) the “competence to regulate” the functioning of religious bodies (i.e., the ability/power to govern them), and (3) this was “perceived as an instance of sovereignty” (i.e., seen as a mark/symbol of sovereign authority). The option that keeps all three intact is the one reading “Long before the Constitution was enacted, the ability to govern the functioning of religious organizations was seen as a symbol of sovereignty.” Here “ability to govern” = “competence to regulate”, “seen as a symbol of sovereignty” = “perceived as an instance of sovereignty”, and the timeline word “enacted” is unchanged — every anchor is preserved, so it is the closest in meaning.
Contrast with the near-misses
The version with “the failure to regulate” flips the capacity into its opposite — inability instead of competence — so the meaning is reversed.
The version with “the Constitution was repealed” and the action “overlooked” breaks both the timeline word (repealed is the opposite of enacted) and the characterization (overlooked is not the same as perceived-as).
The version with “reluctance to control” and “an example of autonomy” swaps in a near-opposite attitude and replaces sovereignty with a different concept (autonomy), so two anchors fail.
The version saying the power “was hampered” “long before the Constitution was abrogated” uses hampered (obstructed, not exercised) and abrogated (the opposite of enacted), distorting both the action and the timeline.
Cross-check: Only one option leaves the timeline word, the capacity-to-govern, and the sovereignty-characterization all undistorted simultaneously; every other option changes at least one anchor into an antonym or a different idea, which is the reliable way to eliminate them.