Direction: Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer to each…
2024
Direction: Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer to each question out of the four alternatives and fill in the blanks
Every month, scientists ___(i)___ new gadgets and new ways to make technology faster and better. Our homes are full of hardware (such as DVD players and computers) and ___(ii)___ (such as computer games and MP3s). ___(iii)___ suggests, however, that it is the young people who are best able to deal with this change. Whereas teenagers have no problem ___(iv)___ a DVD player, their parents and grandparents often find using new technology ___(v)___ and different. But if you’re a teenager who criticizes your parents for their ___(vi)___ of technological awareness, don’t be too hard on them! Sometime ___(vii)___the future, when you’ve got children of your own, your ___(viii)___ to deal with new technology will probably ___(ix)___ and your children will feel more ___(x)___ with new technology than you do.
Find the appropriate word in case
(x)=?
(question no 1 till 10 are linked together )
- A.
pleased
- B.
able
- C.
comfortable
- D.
easy
Attempted by 2 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Concept: In a meaning-based cloze blank, the correct word is fixed by collocation — which adjective conventionally combines with the preposition or grammatical structure right after the blank — together with the sentence's semantic tone; picking any word that is merely near the topic, without matching that structure and tone, is the trap this format sets.
Application: The blank sits in “...your children will feel more ___(x)___ with new technology than you do.” The word must (a) take the preposition 'with' immediately after it, and (b) express ease or familiarity, echoing the passage's running contrast between the ease with which each new generation grows up around technology and the adjustment required of their elders.
Cross-check — why the other options don't fit:
'pleased' expresses satisfaction with an outcome or event, as in 'pleased with the results', not an ongoing state of familiarity with something like technology, so its meaning does not match the sentence.
'able' collocates with 'to' followed by a verb, as in 'able to use technology', not with 'with' followed by a noun phrase — the structure right after the blank rules it out.
'easy' describes a task or object as simple to do; standard English does not use 'feel easy with' to describe a person's own state of familiarity, which is exactly what this blank needs.
Result: The word that both takes 'with' and conveys ease/familiarity is 'comfortable' — matching the collocation 'comfortable with' and the passage's closing contrast between the next generation's ease and the current generation's adjustment. So the answer to blank (x) is 'comfortable'.