Direction: In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Fill in the…
2024
Direction: In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Fill in the blanks with the help of the alternatives given. Select the most appropriate option for each number.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said the national vaccination ______(1)______ will start earlier than expected. “We’ve been able to bring our vaccination ______(2)______ schedule forward from the middle of the year, to the second quarter, to late March and now to early March, and I’m not ruling out ______(3)______ steps,” the ABC News reported, quoting Hunt.
Question:
Which of these words most appropriately fits the blank labelled (2)?
- A.
Programme
- B.
Ceremony
- C.
Dawn
- D.
Commencement
Attempted by 7 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Solution
The correct answer is Commencement.
Explanation
The sentence describes moving the start date of the vaccination effort earlier. "Commencement" specifically means the beginning or start of something, so it correctly expresses that idea. A clear, natural phrasing is:
We’ve been able to bring forward the commencement of our vaccination schedule from the middle of the year to early March.
Why the other words are less suitable
Programme: Refers to an overall plan or set of activities (a vaccination programme). It names the plan itself, not the start time, so it does not express moving the start earlier.
Ceremony: Means a formal event or ritual and is unrelated to scheduling the beginning of a campaign.
Dawn: A figurative word for the beginning of a period; it is not used with "schedule" in formal announcements and would be stylistically inappropriate here.
Correct phrasing
Use wording that makes the role of the start date clear, for example: "bring forward the commencement of the vaccination schedule."