Direction : In each of the following sentences there are two blank spaces.…
2020
Direction : In each of the following sentences there are two blank spaces. Below each five pairs of words have been denoted by numbers (A), (B), (C), (D) and (E). Find out which pair of words can be filled up in the blanks in the sentences in the same sequence to make the sentence meaningfully complete.
You must _____________ your house in order before you ________________ to offer advice to others.
- A.
arrange, proceed
- B.
set, venture
- C.
organize, preach
- D.
adjust, think
- E.
maintain, dare
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept
In a two-blank sentence-completion item, the correct pair must satisfy BOTH a fixed collocation/idiom and the right register for each blank. An idiom is a fixed phrase whose words cannot be swapped for synonyms without breaking it: "set one's house in order" is the established idiom meaning to organise one's own affairs (or correct one's own faults) first. The second blank needs a verb that fits the pattern "___ to offer advice", meaning to presume or take the risk of doing so.
Application
Blank 1 demands the verb that forms the idiom with "...your house in order". Only set produces the fixed phrase "set your house in order". Blank 2 needs a verb meaning "presume/dare" before "to offer advice"; venture ("venture to offer advice" = take the liberty of offering advice) fits this exactly. So the pair set, venture completes the sentence: "You must set your house in order before you venture to offer advice to others."
Contrast
Why the other pairs fail:
arrange, proceed — "arrange your house in order" is not the idiom (you arrange furniture, not "in order"), and "proceed to offer advice" is flat, missing the nuance of presuming or daring.
organize, preach — "organize your house in order" breaks the idiom, and "preach to offer advice" is ungrammatical (you preach advice, you do not "preach to offer" it).
adjust, think — "adjust your house in order" is not idiomatic, and "think to offer advice" is awkward and non-standard.
maintain, dare — although "dare to offer advice" is acceptable, "maintain your house in order" is not the idiom, so the pair fails on the first blank.