Directions : Read the following passage and answer the following questions…
2019
Directions : Read the following passage and answer the following questions based on the given passage.
Mr. A. Rangaswami Iyangar B.A. B.L., Editor, “Swadesa Mitran” writes: — The unique sequence of events which have been crowded into the past fortnight in the history of India can hardly be ignored by any thinking Indian and it may be useful to take just a _____(I)_____ with a view to indicate the immediate work that looms before Indian Nationalists. That the Indian National Congress Session of the year forms one of the greatest landmarks in the political history of the country can admit of no doubt. Although the moderates have re-christened their insignificant gathering by the ____(II)___ name of the National Liberal Federation, it is evident that under the guidance of the new-born, though lukewarm, political enthusiasm of Sir. P.S. Sivaswami Iyer and the out of date political oratory of Babu Surendra Nath Banerjea, it is hardly likely to carry the country along the path of national progress with anything like the fire of the genuine national movement that animates the whole country.
Which of the phrases could fit in the blank (I), to make the statement grammatically correct and contextually meaningful?
- A.
roughly form the entities of modern-day
- B.
merely on territorial extent of its sovereignty
- C.
cursory survey of them
- D.
religious intermingling to new level of exploration
- E.
none of these
Attempted by 5 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Concept:
In a cloze (fill-in-the-blank) task, the missing phrase must satisfy two tests at once: it must complete the grammar of the sentence frame around it, and it must keep the meaning coherent. Here the frame is the verb phrase "to take just a ___", and the noun "take a ..." demands a singular noun phrase as its object that also collocates with "take" (e.g. take a look, take a survey).
Application:
Read the frame in full: "... it may be useful to take just a ___ with a view to indicate the immediate work that looms before Indian Nationalists." The writer is proposing a quick, preliminary look back at the fortnight's events before pointing to the work ahead. The slot therefore needs a singular noun phrase meaning a brief examination. "Cursory survey of them" fits exactly: "take a cursory survey" is a natural collocation, "cursory" supplies the "just a" sense of a quick glance, and "of them" refers back to the crowded events, giving "take just a cursory survey of them".
Contrast with the other phrases:
"roughly form the entities of modern-day" - a verb-led clause, not a noun phrase, so "take just a roughly form ..." is ungrammatical and the meaning is unrelated to a quick look-back.
"merely on territorial extent of its sovereignty" - begins with the adverb "merely" plus a prepositional phrase; it cannot serve as the object of "take a", and "territorial extent of sovereignty" does not fit the passage's idea.
"religious intermingling to new level of exploration" - a noun phrase in form, but it does not collocate with "take a" and its sense (religious intermingling) is foreign to the writer's point about reviewing recent political events.
"none of these" - rejected, because one phrase does complete the blank both grammatically and in meaning.
Cross-check:
Substitute the chosen phrase back into the sentence: "it may be useful to take just a cursory survey of them with a view to indicate the immediate work" - it reads smoothly, is grammatically complete, and matches the writer's intent of a brief review before looking ahead.