Select the most appropriate option that can substitute the underlined segment in the given sentence.
Understanding Degrees of Comparison for Adjectives
The question asks us to replace the underlined word "creative" in the sentence "In order to win the competition, one has to be creative" with the most appropriate option. This involves understanding how adjectives change form to show different degrees of comparison: the positive degree, the comparative degree, and the superlative degree.
Degrees of Adjectives Explained
- Positive Degree: This is the basic form of the adjective. It describes a quality without comparing it to anything else. Example: creative, happy, big.
- Comparative Degree: This degree is used to compare two things. It shows a higher degree of the quality than the positive degree. It is often formed by adding "-er" to the adjective or using "more" before the adjective. Example: happier, bigger, more creative.
- Superlative Degree: This degree is used to compare three or more things. It shows the highest degree of the quality among all. It is often formed by adding "-est" to the adjective or using "most" before the adjective. Example: happiest, biggest, most creative.
Analyzing the Adjective "Creative"
The adjective "creative" is typically a two-syllable word that does not end in "-y". For most adjectives of two or more syllables (except those ending in -y, -er, -ow, etc.), we use "more" for the comparative degree and "most" for the superlative degree.
So, the degrees for "creative" are:
- Positive: creative
- Comparative: more creative
- Superlative: most creative
Options like "creativest" and "creativer" are grammatically incorrect forms.
Evaluating the Sentence Context and Options
The sentence "In order to win the competition, one has to be creative" implies that a certain level of creativity is required to succeed in the competition. The context suggests that simply being 'creative' might not be enough; a higher degree of creativity compared to a general standard is needed to win.
Let's look at the given options:
- most creative: This is the superlative degree. It means the absolute highest level of creativity among a group of three or more. While winning often requires being highly creative, using "most creative" without explicitly comparing among all participants might be too strong or imply a specific comparison context not fully present in the simple sentence.
- more creative: This is the comparative degree. It implies a higher degree of creativity is needed than the baseline or a general level. This fits the context of needing an enhanced quality (creativity) to achieve success (win the competition). It suggests needing creativity above the normal level or above the level of others who might not win.
- creativest: This is an incorrect form of the superlative degree.
- creativer: This is an incorrect form of the comparative degree.
Considering the nuance of the sentence, requiring creativity "in order to win" suggests a necessary increase in this quality. The comparative degree, "more creative", is the most appropriate choice to indicate a higher level of creativity is required for winning.
Comparing Options for Sentence Appropriateness
Let's substitute the options back into the sentence fragment:
- In order to win the competition, one has to be most creative. (Possible, but sounds like you have to be *the* single most creative person among all competitors, which might not be the intended general advice).
- In order to win the competition, one has to be more creative. (This sounds natural and indicates that a higher degree of creativity is needed than someone who doesn't win, or than a basic level of creativity).
The option "more creative" best fits the context of requiring an elevated level of creativity to achieve success in a competitive environment.
| Option | Degree | Correctness of Form | Appropriateness in Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| most creative | Superlative | Correct | Less appropriate; implies being the single highest compared to all others. |
| more creative | Comparative | Correct | Most appropriate; implies needing a higher degree of creativity. |
| creativest | Superlative | Incorrect | Incorrect form. |
| creativer | Comparative | Incorrect | Incorrect form. |
Conclusion on Substituting 'Creative'
Based on the analysis of the degrees of comparison and the context of the sentence, the most appropriate substitute for "creative" is "more creative". This indicates that a higher degree of creativity is a requirement for winning the competition.
Revision Table: Adjective Degrees for 'Creative'
| Degree | Form of 'Creative' | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Positive | creative | Describes a noun (e.g., a creative person) |
| Comparative | more creative | Compares two things or indicates a higher degree (e.g., more creative than others) |
| Superlative | most creative | Compares three or more things and indicates the highest degree (e.g., the most creative idea) |
Additional Information: Forming Comparative and Superlative Adjectives
Adjectives form their comparative and superlative degrees in different ways, often depending on the number of syllables:
- One-syllable adjectives: Add "-er" for comparative and "-est" for superlative (e.g., tall, taller, tallest; big, bigger, biggest - note doubling of consonant).
- Two-syllable adjectives ending in -y: Change -y to -i and add "-er" or "-est" (e.g., happy, happier, happiest; easy, easier, easiest).
- Most other two-syllable adjectives and all adjectives with three or more syllables: Use "more" for comparative and "most" for superlative (e.g., beautiful, more beautiful, most beautiful; interesting, more interesting, most interesting).
- Irregular adjectives: Some adjectives have unique forms (e.g., good, better, best; bad, worse, worst).
Understanding these rules helps in correctly forming and using comparative and superlative adjectives in sentences, which is crucial for effective communication and for grammar-related questions in exams.
Important Questions from Miscellaneous
A stone is thrown horizontally from the top of a 20 m high building with a speed of 12 m/s. It hits the ground at a distance R from the building. Taking g = 10 m/s2 and neglecting air resistance will give :
A sphere of volume V is made of a material with lower density than water. While on Earth, it floats on water with its volume f1V (f1 < 1) submerged. On the other hand, on a spaceship accelerating with acceleration a < g (g is the acceleration due to gravity on Earth) in outer space, its submerged volume in water is f2V. Then:
A railway wagon (open at the top) of mass M1 is moving with speed v1 along a straight track. As a result of rain, after some time it gets partially filled with water so that the mass of the wagon becomes M2 and speed becomes v2. Taking the rain to be falling vertically and the water stationery inside the wagon, the relation between the two speeds v1 and v2 is :
Consider the following statements:
1. Distance between the longitudes becomes zero on North Pole and South Pole.
2. Distance between the longitudes is maximum on the Equator.
3. Number of longitudes is more than number of latitudes.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
One block of 2⋅0 kg mass is placed on top of another block of 3⋅0 kg mass. The coefficient of static friction between the two blocks is 0⋅2. The bottom block is pulled with a horizontal force F such that both the blocks move together without slipping. Taking acceleration due to gravity as 10 m/s2, the maximum value of the frictional force is :
