Directions: In the following question, two columns are given containing three…
2021
Directions: In the following question, two columns are given containing three sentences/phrases each. In the first column, the sentences/phrases are A, B and C; in the second column, the sentences/phrases are D, E and F. A sentence/phrase from the first column may or may not connect with another from the second column. Four of the five options display sequence(s) in which the sentences/phrases can be joined to form a grammatically and contextually correct sentence. Choose the appropriate option. If none of the given options forms a correct sentence after combination, mark (e), i.e. “None of these.”
COLUMN I
(A) Meaningful competition among them was seen as a meritocratic exercise
(B) With leagues increasingly awash with hedge fund money and handouts of
(C) The nation hoped that the central government would take corrective action
COLUMN II
(D) outfits are answerable more to investors and owners than actual supporters.
(E) workforce longevity is vital from the perspective of the company’s credibility.
(F) after watching and experiencing the repercussions of a medical supply crisis.
- A.
Only A-D and B-F
- B.
Only C-F
- C.
Only A-E and B-D
- D.
Only B-E
- E.
None of these
Attempted by 1 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept
In a sentence-connector (column-matching) item, a fragment from Column I joins a fragment from Column II only when the result is one complete sentence that is both grammatically well-formed (subject–verb–object agreement, correct connectors, no dangling modifier) and contextually coherent (the two halves share one consistent idea). A correct pairing must read as a single uninterrupted sentence with no abrupt subject change and no broken phrase.
Application
Test each Column I fragment against the Column II fragments by reading the joined fragment aloud as one sentence:
(C) “The nation hoped that the central government would take corrective action” is a complete main clause that ends mid-thought, ready for an adverbial tail. Joining (F) “after watching and experiencing the repercussions of a medical supply crisis” supplies exactly that time/cause adverbial: “The nation hoped that the central government would take corrective action after watching and experiencing the repercussions of a medical supply crisis.” This reads as one grammatical, coherent sentence — C joins F.
(A) “…was seen as a meritocratic exercise” already ends a complete clause; appending (D) or (E) starts a fresh, unrelated subject (“outfits are…”, “workforce longevity is…”), producing two run-on sentences rather than one — A connects to nothing here.
(B) “…hedge fund money and handouts of” ends on the dangling preposition “of”, which needs a noun object. (D) begins with the plural noun “outfits” as the subject of a new clause, (E) with “workforce longevity”, and (F) with the preposition “after” — none completes “handouts of …” into a single grammatical sentence — B connects to nothing here.
To be exhaustive, C is also tested against the other Column II fragments and fails both: “…take corrective action outfits are answerable…” (C-D) and “…take corrective action workforce longevity is vital…” (C-E) each start a new, unrelated subject and break into two sentences; only C-F continues C as one grammatical sentence. Likewise A and B yield no valid join with any of D, E or F, so C-F is the sole correct pairing.
Cross-check
Only one valid join survives the test — C with F — so exactly one pairing is possible. Since the question asks for the option that lists the correct sequence(s), the option naming the single pair C–F is the answer; the multi-pair and alternative single-pair options assert joins that fail the grammar/coherence test.