In each of the following questions, a sentence has been given with two blanks.…
2023
In each of the following questions, a sentence has been given with two blanks. For each question, five options are given, each containing two words. You have to choose the most suitable option that fits both the blanks grammatically and contextually.
This has ___________ both local populations and the rest of the world, with rising sea levels and ____________ weather events.
- A.
inspired, arcane
- B.
captivated, average
- C.
amazed, abstruse
- D.
depressed, supreme
- E.
affected, extreme
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: E
Concept — In a double-blank cloze, each blank must satisfy two constraints at once: grammatical fit (the right part of speech and form) and contextual sense (the tone and meaning the sentence as a whole demands). A word pair is correct only when BOTH of its words pass both tests; one weak word eliminates the entire pair.
Application — The sentence describes climate change harming people worldwide, signalled by 'rising sea levels' and severe '___ weather events'. Blank 1 needs a verb whose object is 'both local populations and the rest of the world', so it must mean to impact or influence in a neutral-to-negative way; 'affected' fits exactly. Blank 2 modifies 'weather events' in a climate-harm context, so it needs an adjective meaning severe or intense; 'extreme' is the standard, idiomatic collocation in 'extreme weather events'. The pair 'affected, extreme' satisfies both blanks grammatically and contextually.
Contrast — Each rejected pair fails on at least one word:
'inspired, arcane': 'inspired' has an uplifting, motivating tone that contradicts a sentence about harm, and 'arcane' (obscure, mysterious) does not describe weather events.
'captivated, average': 'captivated' (charmed, fascinated) is a positive reaction unsuited to describing damage, and 'average weather events' undercuts the severity the sentence builds toward.
'amazed, abstruse': 'amazed' expresses wonder or delight, the wrong tone for harm, and 'abstruse' (hard to understand) cannot describe weather events.
'depressed, supreme': 'depressed' (saddened, in low spirits) does not suit a clause acting on populations and the rest of the world, and 'supreme' (highest, best) wrongly praises the weather events instead of marking their severity.