Directions: In each of the following questions there are three blank spaces.…
2023
Directions: In each of the following questions there are three blank spaces. Below each question there are some options and each option consists of three words which can be filled up in the blanks of the statement(s) to make the statement grammatically correct. Choose the correct alternative among the options given below.
The ______________ of how to allocate the _________________ resources among competing projects required careful ___________________.
- A.
candor, restricted, analysis
- B.
procedure, inexhaustible, judgement
- C.
conundrum, limited, consideration
- D.
zealous, futuristic, admiration
- E.
mechanism, vicarious, precautions
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Concept
A fill-in-the-blanks completion is solved by collocation and grammar: each chosen word must fit its slot's part of speech and form a natural, idiomatic phrase with the surrounding words. Test every option as a complete set; the right set is the only one in which all three words are grammatical and meaningful together.
Application
Read the frame: "The ___ of how to allocate the ___ resources among competing projects required careful ___."
Blank 1 needs a noun that the phrase "of how to allocate" can describe — i.e. a problem or puzzle. "conundrum" (a difficult problem) fits naturally.
Blank 2 modifies "resources"; "competing projects" signals scarcity, so the resources must be in short supply. "limited" captures this.
Blank 3 follows "required careful ___" and needs a noun naming the mental effort applied. "consideration" pairs idiomatically with "careful."
Putting them together: "The conundrum of how to allocate the limited resources among competing projects required careful consideration." — grammatical and meaningful in every slot.
Cross-check
The other sets each break down: "candor" and "zealous" cannot follow "The ___ of how to allocate" (one is the wrong meaning, the other an adjective); "inexhaustible resources" contradicts allocating among competing projects; "vicarious resources" and "careful precautions/admiration" are not idiomatic. Only conundrum, limited, consideration works as a set.