English Questions: Fill in the Blanks 137

Directions(1-10): The following question carries one statement with one blank. Choose the word that will fill the blank to make the sentence grammatically correct and meaningful.

1. There is a huge range of exercises and yoga poses that give a holistic ____________ power to the body, mind and soul.
   witty
   healing
   pathetic
   jocular
   facetious
   Option B
   Jocular means fond of or characterized by joking; humorous or playful.
   Facetious means treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humour.

    

2. Swaraj’s political trajectory teaches us that a woman primarily needs ____________ in herself, and hard work to hone her abilities, to serve the public good.
   importance
   transformation
   insignificance
   confidence
   rebellious
   Option D
   

    

3. The debates around hard-Hindutva and soft-Hindutva are seriously ____________ with the secular character of our elections and democracy.
   nefarious
   agitated
   rebelling
   delegating
   tampering
   Option E
   Tampering means to interfere with (something) in order to cause damage or make unauthorized alterations
   Nefarious means evil and agitated means feeling or appearing troubled or nervous.

    

4. The secular intellectuals should also divert their ____________ to try lift the orthodox Hindu society from the pit of casteism where it tends to dwell perpetually.
   
   failure
   pain
   safety
   zeal
   benefit
   Option D
   

    

5. The appointment of auditors is done by the Reserve Bank in _______ with the Central Government.
   asking
   consultation
   formation
   balancing
   absence
   Option B
   

    

6. Factors such as poverty, lack of social security and the increasing gap between the rich and the poor have __________ children more than any other group.
   
   dominated
   effected
   affects
   affected
   blamed
   Option D
   

    

7. Knowing that any kind of __________ is destructive in the classroom, the teacher wished to foster a sense of community among her students.
   
   harmony
   consensus
   discord
   rapport
   coordination
   Option C
   • Harmony: the state of being in agreement or concord
   • Consensus: a general agreement
   • Rapport: a close and harmonious relationship in which the people or groups concerned understand each other’s feelings or ideas and communicate well
   • Coordination: the organization of the different elements of a complex body or activity so as to enable them to work together effectively

    

8. Seema’s daughter will not be able to complete her __________ mission of raising five hundred dollars for her local orphanage without help.
   
   lofty
   doleful
   diminutive
   alarming
   deterring
   Option A
   Lofty means ‘of noble nature’.
   • Doleful: expressing sorrow; mournful.
   • Diminutive: extremely or unusually small.
   • Alarming: make (someone) feel frightened, disturbed, or in danger.
   • Deterring: discourage (someone) from doing something by instilling doubt or fear of the consequences.

    

9. The criminal begged for probation while the judge remained __________ on convicting him for life.
   adamant
   confined
   proactive
   persuaded
   impenetrable
   Option A
   Adamant means ‘refusing to be persuaded or to change one’s mind’.
   • Confined: (of a space) restricted in area or volume; cramped
   • Proactive: (of a person or action) creating or controlling a situation rather than just responding to it after it has happened
   • Persuaded: induce (someone) to do something through reasoning or argument
   • Impenetrable: impossible to understand.

    

10. When students are engaged in projects, they learn how to set goals, work together and feel ______ of their accomplishments.
    
    disheartened
    energised
    proud
    mesmerized
    optimism
    Option C