Analyzing the Passage and Question

The passage describes the organic farming practices in Bhutan. It highlights that fruits and vegetables are grown organically and mentions that a large part of the population is involved in farming. The question asks us to fill in the first blank in the sentence: “Everything in Bhutan is chemical-free, all fruits and vegetables are (1)______ organically, so whatever you buy is (2)______ farm produced as the (3)______ of the population indulge in farming for (4)______,” says my taxi driver Karma Chime.

We need to choose the most appropriate word for blank (1) from the given options to complete the sentence grammatically and contextually.

Choosing the Correct Word for Blank (1)

The sentence “all fruits and vegetables are (1)______ organically” talks about the state or manner in which fruits and vegetables are cultivated. The structure "are + verb" often indicates the present continuous tense or the passive voice. Considering the context, the sentence describes a general fact about how fruits and vegetables are produced in Bhutan, which fits the passive voice. In the passive voice, the structure is typically "subject + auxiliary verb (be) + past participle of the main verb".

In this sentence, the subject is "all fruits and vegetables", the auxiliary verb is "are", and we need the past participle of the verb "grow". Let's look at the options:

• grown: This is the past participle of "grow".
• grew: This is the simple past tense of "grow".
• grows: This is the third-person singular present tense of "grow".
• grow: This is the base form or present tense (used with plural subjects like "they grow").

To form the passive voice with "are", we need the past participle. The past participle of "grow" is "grown". Therefore, "are grown" correctly forms the passive voice sentence "all fruits and vegetables are grown organically".

Evaluating the Options

Let's examine why the other options are not suitable for blank (1):

• grew: “all fruits and vegetables are grew organically” - Incorrect. "grew" is the simple past tense and cannot follow "are" in this structure to form the passive voice.
• grows: “all fruits and vegetables are grows organically” - Incorrect. "grows" is the third-person singular present tense and cannot follow "are". Also, the subject "fruits and vegetables" is plural, requiring "grow" or "are grown", not "grows".
• grow: “all fruits and vegetables are grow organically” - Incorrect. "grow" is the base form/present tense. While "fruits and vegetables grow organically" is grammatically correct in the active voice, the structure "are grow" is incorrect for either active or passive voice in standard English. The passive voice requires the past participle.

Thus, the only grammatically correct and contextually appropriate option for blank (1) is "grown". The phrase "are grown" indicates that the fruits and vegetables are cultivated in an organic manner.

Conclusion

Based on the analysis of the sentence structure requiring the passive voice and the options provided, the word "grown" is the correct past participle needed to complete the phrase "are ______ organically".

Revision Table: Key Concepts

Additional Information: Verb Forms and Passive Voice in English

Understanding different verb forms and how they are used in sentence structures like the passive voice is crucial for filling in blanks correctly in reading comprehension questions. Verbs have base forms, simple past forms, and past participle forms. For regular verbs, the simple past and past participle often end in -ed (walk, walked, walked). For irregular verbs, like 'grow', the forms are different (grow, grew, grown).

The passive voice is formed using the appropriate tense of the verb 'to be' (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been) followed by the past participle of the main verb. It shifts the focus from the subject performing the action to the subject receiving the action.

For instance:

• Active: Farmers grow vegetables. (Focus on farmers)
• Passive: Vegetables are grown by farmers. (Focus on vegetables)

In the sentence from the passage, "all fruits and vegetables are (1)______ organically", the focus is on the fruits and vegetables and what happens to them. The action of 'growing' is done to them, indicating the need for the passive voice ("are grown").

When filling blanks, always consider the context of the sentence, the subject, the auxiliary verbs present, and the required grammatical structure (e.g., active, passive, specific tense).