Each question has a sentence with two blanks followed by four pairs of words…
2023
Each question has a sentence with two blanks followed by four pairs of words as choices. From the choices, select the pair of words that can best complete the given sentence.
I was feeling rather _______ when I _______ an yellow envelope on the table.
- A.
miserable, spotted
- B.
ecstatic, perceived
- C.
happy, discerned
- D.
jubilant, glimpsed
Attempted by 14 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Correct answer: miserable, spotted
Explanation:
All four first words (miserable, ecstatic, happy, jubilant) can grammatically fill the first blank, since they are adjectives describing a feeling.
The deciding factor is the second word. 'Spotted' is a simple, natural past-tense verb meaning 'saw' and fits the plain act of noticing an envelope.
Other second-word choices are less appropriate:
'Perceived' is formal and suggests a process of becoming aware rather than simply seeing.
'Discerned' implies seeing or understanding with difficulty, which does not match casually noticing an envelope.
'Glimpsed' means saw briefly; while grammatical, it suggests only a fleeting sighting and is less straightforward than 'spotted'.
Therefore, the pair miserable, spotted is the best choice because the second word is the most natural fit for noticing an envelope.
Note: The sentence contains a minor article error ('an yellow' should be 'a yellow'), but this does not affect the choice among the given word pairs.