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. Mount Agung is a volcano on the popular tourist island of Bali in Indonesia. The volcano _____ (1) in November 2017. More than 134,000 people were _____ (2) to safe areas in advance. They ______ (3) housed far away from the volcano. _______ (4), some had refused to leave. These people did not _______ (5) to leave their homes. They wanted to take care of their farms and animals.
Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank No. 3.
were
Understanding the Mount Agung Passage Blank Fill
The passage describes the events surrounding the eruption of Mount Agung, a volcano in Bali, Indonesia, in November 2017. It talks about how people were evacuated and some who chose to stay. We need to select the most appropriate word to fill in blank number 3 to complete the sentence grammatically and contextually.
Analyzing Blank Number 3
The sentence containing blank number 3 reads: "They ______ (3) housed far away from the volcano."
The subject of this sentence is "They", which refers to the "More than 134,000 people" mentioned in the previous sentence who "were moved to safe areas".
The word "housed" is the past participle of the verb "house". The structure "subject + form of 'be' + past participle" is used to form the passive voice.
The context of the passage is a past event, the volcano eruption in November 2017. Therefore, the verb tense needed should be appropriate for describing a past action.
Evaluating the Options for Blank 3
Let's look at the given options and see which one fits the sentence structure, tense, and subject-verb agreement:
- were
- have
- is
- had
Let's test each option in the blank:
- Option 1: were
"They were housed far away from the volcano." 'Were' is the past tense, plural form of the verb 'be'. This fits the plural subject 'They' and the past tense context. 'Were housed' is the passive voice, indicating that someone housed them. This makes grammatical and contextual sense. - Option 2: have
"They have housed far away from the volcano." 'Have' is used for the present tense or present perfect. If used with 'housed', it would typically be 'have been housed' for the passive voice ("They have been housed"). "They have housed" implies they did the housing themselves (active voice), which doesn't fit the context of people being moved and given housing. - Option 3: is
"They is housed far away from the volcano." 'Is' is the present tense, singular form of the verb 'be'. It does not agree with the plural subject 'They'. - Option 4: had
"They had housed far away from the volcano." 'Had' is used for the past perfect tense. If used in the passive voice, it would be 'had been housed' ("They had been housed"). "They had housed" is the active voice past perfect, meaning they did the housing before some other past action, which doesn't fit here. While "They had been housed" is grammatically correct passive voice, the simple past passive "They were housed" is a more direct and common way to describe a completed action in the past and fits the narrative flow well. Between 'were' and 'had', 'were' forms the simple past passive, which is most appropriate here.
Conclusion for Blank 3
Considering the subject 'They' (plural), the past context (November 2017), and the need for a passive voice construction ("housed" being the past participle), the option that correctly forms the simple past passive voice is 'were'. "They were housed" means that accommodation was provided for them.
| Option | Verb Form | Grammatical Fit | Contextual Fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| were | Past Simple Passive (They + were + housed) | Correct (Plural subject, past tense) | Correct (Describes people being accommodated in the past) |
| have | Present Perfect or Present Active | Incorrect (Needs 'been' for passive; 'have' doesn't agree with 'housed' alone) | Incorrect (Not present or active voice) |
| is | Present Simple Singular | Incorrect (Doesn't agree with plural subject 'They') | Incorrect (Not present tense) |
| had | Past Perfect Active or needs 'been' for passive | Less direct than 'were' for simple past action; 'had housed' is active voice | Less appropriate than simple past passive |
Therefore, the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 3 is 'were'.
Revision Table: Key Grammar Points
| Concept | Explanation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Subject-Verb Agreement | The verb must agree in number (singular/plural) with its subject. | He is housed. They were housed. |
| Passive Voice | Used when the action is more important than the doer, or the doer is unknown. Formed with 'be' + past participle. | The people were housed by the authorities. |
| Past Tense Context | Use past tense verbs when describing events that happened completely in the past. | The eruption happened in November 2017. People were moved. |
Additional Information: Understanding Passive Voice
The passive voice is a grammatical construction. In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence receives the action, rather than performing it.
Structure of the passive voice:
Subject + form of 'be' + past participle of the main verb + (optional: by + doer of the action)
Examples:
- Active: The authorities housed them. (Authorities = doer, them = receiver)
- Passive: They were housed by the authorities. (They = receiver, were housed = passive verb)
In the sentence "They ______ housed", 'housed' is the past participle. 'They' is the subject receiving the action of being housed. This indicates a need for a form of the verb 'be' to create the passive voice. Since the event happened in the past and 'They' is plural, the past tense plural form of 'be', which is 'were', is required.
Important Questions from Fill in the Blanks
Directions: Fill in the blanks with the word that best completes the sentence.
With a less rapid expansion of the economy, we should make________ progress toward stable price levels.
Directions: Fill in the blanks with the word that best completes the sentence.
At times he gets very angry, and then no one can_______ him.
Each of the following sentences has a blank space and four words are given below it. Select the word or group of words you consider most appropriate for the blank space and indicate your response accordingly.
Many people today have fallen into utter confusion of values with the result that they cannot______ the good from the bad.
Each of the following sentences has a blank space and four words are given below it. Select the word or group of words you consider most appropriate for the blank space and indicate your response accordingly
If Mohan________ at 5 a.m., he would not have missed the train.
Each of the following sentences has a blank space and four words are given below it. Select the word or group of words you consider most appropriate for the blank space and indicate your response accordingly.
His property was divided ______ his daughters and sons.
