Direction : In the following questions, four words are highlighted in bold and…
2020
Direction : In the following questions, four words are highlighted in bold and numbered as (A), (B), (C) and (D). Some words have been swapped from their places and interchanged with other words which are highlighted and labelled. Choose the option which displays correct swapping of words making the sentence grammatically correct and contextually meaningful. If all words are in their places, choose option (e) ‘’No Correction Required’’ as your answer.
The fillip (A) of an elderly Nagaland couple with stigma (B) has given a recovery (C) to the State government’s fight against the comorbidities (D) surrounding the novel coronavirus infection.
Answer: A. Both A-C and B-D — Concept. A word-swap correction question gives a sentence in which two pairs of the marked words have been exchanged. To repair it, read each blank for the…
- A.
Both A-C and B-D
- B.
Only B-C
- C.
Only A-D
- D.
Both A-D and B-C
- E.
No replacement required
Attempted by 9 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Concept. A word-swap correction question gives a sentence in which two pairs of the marked words have been exchanged. To repair it, read each blank for the meaning the context demands, then find which marked words must trade places so that every position holds the word that fits both grammar and sense. A noun denoting the event being described belongs in the subject slot; the boost given to an effort belongs in the object slot; the condition a person carries belongs after "with"; and the thing an effort is fought "against" belongs in the final slot.
Application. Test each marked position against the meaning the sentence needs:
Subject of "of an elderly couple": this should name what the couple did. "recovery" fits (a couple recovers); "fillip" (a boost or stimulus) does not describe a couple, so the word now in the (A) slot must come from (C).
After "a couple with ___": this should name a health condition a person carries. "comorbidities" (co-existing illnesses) fits; "stigma" is a social attitude, not something a couple medically has, so (B) must come from (D).
"has given a ___ to the fight": this should name a boost. "fillip" means a stimulus or boost, which is exactly what is given to an effort; "recovery" does not fit here, so (C) must come from (A).
"the fight against the ___ surrounding the infection": one fights against a negative social force. "stigma" fits; "comorbidities" are not fought against here, so (D) must come from (B).
Result. (A) trades with (C) and (B) trades with (D) — both A–C and B–D swap. The repaired sentence reads: "The recovery of an elderly Nagaland couple with comorbidities has given a fillip to the State government's fight against the stigma surrounding the novel coronavirus infection."
Cross-check. Read the repaired sentence end to end: a recovery (not a fillip) belongs to the couple, the couple has comorbidities (not stigma), that story gives a fillip (not a recovery) to the campaign, and the campaign fights stigma (not comorbidities). Both pairs had to move, so swapping only one pair, or leaving the sentence unchanged, still leaves two positions wrong.