Directions : In the following paragraph, a few phrases have been highlighted,…
2021
Directions : In the following paragraph, a few phrases have been highlighted, each of which has been numbered. These highlighted phrases may or may not have been used correctly in terms of contextual meaning and grammatical accuracy. Select the most appropriate phrase from the given options to replace the incorrect one. Choose the "No replacement required" option if the highlighted phrase is grammatically correct and does not need to be replaced.
Enhancing the efficiency of electricity use are an important complement (68) to decarbonizing the electricity supply. Growing urbanization and uptake of electricity services offer a good opportunity to (69) shape energy consumption within buildings through proactive measures. Cooling needs are expected to increase rapid with rising (70) incomes and temperatures. Air conditioners, fans and refrigerators together consume about 60% of the electricity in households. Today, the average fan sold in the market consumes more than twice (71) what an efficient fan does, and an average refrigerator is about 35% more. India can leverage this transition to as an opportunity too (72) become a global leader in the production of clean appliances.
Answer: E. No replacement required — ConceptWhen two or more subjects are joined by “and”, they normally form a compound (plural) subject and take a plural verb. The base form of the verb…
- A.
offers a good opportunity to
- B.
offering good opportunity to
- C.
offers good opportunity for
- D.
offered good opportunity to
- E.
No replacement required
Attempted by 16 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: E
Concept
When two or more subjects are joined by “and”, they normally form a compound (plural) subject and take a plural verb. The base form of the verb (without the -s ending) is the plural present-tense form; the -s form is singular.
Application
The subject controlling phrase (69) is “Growing urbanization and uptake of electricity services” — two nouns joined by and, so the subject is plural. A plural subject needs the plural verb form, and the idiom is “opportunity to + verb” with the article a before the singular noun opportunity.
Identify the subject: “Growing urbanization and uptake of electricity services” is a compound subject joined by and, hence plural.
Match the verb: a plural subject takes the plural verb offer, not the singular offers.
Check article + preposition: “a good opportunity to shape…” uses the correct article a and the correct idiom opportunity to + base verb.
Check tense: the paragraph is in the present tense, so the present-tense offer fits; a past form would break the tense.
Cross-check / Contrast
Substituting any alternative either breaks subject–verb agreement, drops the article, changes the preposition, or shifts the tense. Since the existing phrase “offer a good opportunity to” already satisfies agreement, article, idiom and tense, no replacement is needed — the correct choice is “No replacement required”.