Directions : In the passage given below there are blanks which are to be…
2017
Directions : In the passage given below there are blanks which are to be filled with the options given below. Find out the appropriate pair of words in each case which can most suitably complete the sentence without altering the meaning of the statement.
While the Padmavati issue rages on, it is instructive to observe how little by way of a/an _______________(15) reaction by the government has been forthcoming. In the face of public ______________(16) made in the full glare of national media, by those protesting against the film as well leaders of its own party, the government has offered no substantive comment.
Instead, several states have acted by banning the film, without having seen it. At a time when a comment on social media can get young people into jail, the people making the very gruesome threats against some well-liked public figures have faced no ________________(17) whatsoever. This has already invited much criticism on social media, but what is_________________(18) is how easy it is for the state to ignore the critics and go about its business unaffected.
Democracy works by creating several _____________(19) of oversight, each acting in a specific way. The opposition, the legislative, the judiciary, the bureaucracy, the media including social media and finally, the electorate are some of the mechanisms by which a regime becomes _____________(20). Together, these institutions work to guide, shape, challenge, amplify, audit and limit any regime’s actions.
Fill in blank 19.
- A.
Platoons/Cartels
- B.
Assemblages/Groups
- C.
Stages/Notches
- D.
Strata/Layers
- E.
Phases/Division
Attempted by 2 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Concept
This blank tests collocation and contextual fit: the chosen noun must form a natural, idiomatic English phrase with “of oversight,” and it must match the passage’s picture of several parallel mechanisms (the opposition, legislature, judiciary, bureaucracy, media and electorate) that all check a government at the same time — not a sequence in time, and not an organised armed or commercial body.
Application
The sentence reads: “Democracy works by creating several ____ of oversight, each acting in a specific way,” and the next sentence names institutions that “guide, shape, challenge, amplify, audit and limit” a regime. The clue “each acting in a specific way” signals many co-existing mechanisms, not steps that follow one another.
“Strata of oversight” / “layers of oversight” is a fixed, natural collocation in political and administrative writing.
Both halves of the pair (“Strata,” “layers”) read naturally before “of oversight,” so the pair is internally consistent and idiomatic.
This pair captures the idea of several mechanisms existing together — matching “each acting in a specific way.”
Cross-check / Contrast
“Platoons / Cartels” means an armed military unit or a price-fixing business combine — neither makes sense with “of oversight.”
“Assemblages / Groups” is a vague, loose gathering; “groups of oversight” is not idiomatic.
“Stages / Notches” and “Phases / Division” both imply a sequence or steps in time, which contradicts mechanisms “each acting in a specific way” at once.
Result: the pair “Strata / Layers” best completes blank 19.