Select the most appropriate homonym to fill in the blank. Saraswathi relied on…
2025
Select the most appropriate homonym to fill in the blank.
Saraswathi relied on census data to analyse population trends in her research. Census here means __________.
- A.
criticize strongly
- B.
an official count of a population
- C.
in or near the centre
- D.
very critical
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Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
When several options list different meanings for a word or a set of similar-sounding words, the surrounding sentence decides which meaning fits: its subject matter, register, and the words that collocate with the blank point to the sense that was intended.
In this sentence, "census" appears together with "data", "analyse", "population trends", and "research" -- all terms tied to demographic and statistical study. That context signals the sense of "census" as a formal, official survey that records counts and details about a population, which is exactly what "an official count of a population" expresses.
"criticize strongly" expresses strong disapproval or condemnation -- a sense with no connection to gathering population statistics.
"in or near the centre" expresses physical or spatial position -- unrelated to demographic research.
"very critical" expresses a fault-finding personal quality -- again unrelated to a data-gathering exercise.
Since the sentence is about analysing population data through research, the meaning that fits the blank is "an official count of a population".