In the question below, a sentence is given with four words highlighted. These…
2025
In the question below, a sentence is given with four words highlighted. These four words may not be in their correct positions. The sentence is then followed by options with the correct combination of words that should replace each other in order to make the sentence grammatically and contextually correct. Find the correct combination of the words that replace each other.
Be careful (A) not to microwave (B) the hot plate (C) when you take the food out of the touch (D).
Answer: D. B-D — ConceptIn a word-interchange sentence, the marked word forms stay unchanged, but each word’s grammatical role is determined by the slot into which it moves. A…
- A.
A-B
- B.
B-C & A-D
- C.
A-B & C-D
- D.
B-D
- E.
No interchange required
Attempted by 78 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Concept
In a word-interchange sentence, the marked word forms stay unchanged, but each word’s grammatical role is determined by the slot into which it moves. A valid swap must make every affected slot fit both the surrounding grammar and the intended meaning.
The method is to identify what kind of word each slot requires, test the proposed exchanges, and then read the complete sentence again for coherence.
Application
The structure “Be careful not to ___ the hot plate” requires a verb naming the action to avoid. The word “touch” supplies that action. The structure “take the food out of the ___” requires the name of the appliance containing the food; “microwave” supplies that noun.
Exchange “microwave” and “touch” while leaving “careful” and “the hot plate” in place.
Read the resulting sentence: “Be careful not to touch the hot plate when you take the food out of the microwave.”
Check the grammar: “touch” follows the infinitive marker “to,” and “microwave” follows the preposition “of” as the object noun.
Check the meaning: avoiding contact with a hot plate is a sensible warning, and food can be removed from a microwave.
Cross-check
Moving “careful” would break the adjective complement after “Be.”
Moving “the hot plate” would remove the object of “touch.”
Leaving all four words unchanged would retain the mismatched phrases “microwave the hot plate” and “out of the touch.”
Therefore, the required interchange is B-D.