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 20.
- A.
Efficient/Competent
- B.
Accountable/Liable
- C.
Systematic/Virtuous
- D.
Gratifying/Prolific
- E.
Resilient/Tractable
Attempted by 2 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept: In a cloze (fill-in-the-blank) item, the correct word is fixed by the meaning the surrounding sentence forces on the blank, not by the word's general attractiveness. Read the whole clause, identify what role the blank plays, and choose the word whose definition matches that role exactly.
Application: The clause lists the instruments of democratic oversight — the opposition, the legislature, the judiciary, the bureaucracy, the media and the electorate — and says these are the mechanisms by which a regime becomes ____. The next sentence explains that together they “guide, shape, challenge, amplify, audit and limit” the regime’s actions. A regime that can be guided, audited and limited by external institutions is one that must answer for its conduct. The word that names exactly this state of being answerable to such oversight is “Accountable” (with “Liable” as its near-synonym of being answerable/responsible). So the blank takes the pair Accountable/Liable.
Contrast: Test each offered pair against the meaning the clause demands — “made answerable by mechanisms of oversight”:
Efficient/Competent: describes how well a regime performs its tasks, an internal capacity. Oversight institutions do not make a regime skilful; they make it answerable, so this misses the sentence’s point.
Systematic/Virtuous: “systematic” means methodical and “virtuous” means morally good — personal/qualitative traits that oversight mechanisms do not confer on a regime.
Gratifying/Prolific: “gratifying” means pleasing and “prolific” means highly productive; neither describes a relationship of answerability between a regime and its watchdogs.
Resilient/Tractable: “resilient” means able to recover and “tractable” means easy to control/manage — the two words even pull in different directions, and neither captures “made to answer for its actions.”
Cross-check: substitute the winning pair back in — “the mechanisms by which a regime becomes accountable” — reads naturally and is reinforced by the following sentence about auditing and limiting the regime, confirming the fit.