In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank. A great fire (1) ________ in London in 1666 which (2) ________ the city and made around 1,00,000 people homeless. This fire is said to have begun in a pudding lane. It (3) ________ through the crowded streets and wooden houses. However, after the fire, London was (4) ________ with wider streets and improved water supplies. New buildings were (5) ________ using bricks instead of wood.
Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank no. 2.
destroyed
Understanding the Great Fire of London Passage
The question asks us to complete a passage about the Great Fire of London in 1666 by selecting the most appropriate word for each blank. We need to focus specifically on blank number 2.
Let's look at the sentence containing blank 2:
"A great fire (1) ________ in London in 1666 which (2) ________ the city and made around 1,00,000 people homeless."
The sentence tells us that a fire in 1666 did something significant to the city of London, resulting in a large number of people losing their homes. We need a word that describes the impact of a devastating fire on an urban area.
Analysing Options for Blank 2
Let's examine the given options for blank 2:
- destroyed
- smashed
- shattered
- demolished
Now, let's consider how each word fits the context of a fire affecting a city:
- destroyed: This word means to ruin or damage something severely. A fire, especially a great fire, can certainly destroy buildings and parts of a city, leading to homelessness. This word aligns well with the consequence mentioned (making people homeless).
- smashed: This word typically means to break something into pieces suddenly and violently. While fire causes damage, "smashed" isn't the usual term for the overall effect of a fire on a city's structure.
- shattered: This word means to break into many small pieces, usually glass or a hard material. It's not appropriate for describing the impact of a fire on a city.
- demolished: This word means to pull or knock down a building or structure. While buildings destroyed by fire might need to be demolished afterwards, the fire itself is what causes the initial destruction, not the demolition. Demolition is often a deliberate action.
Selecting the Most Appropriate Word for Blank 2
Based on the analysis, the word that best describes what the Great Fire did to the city of London, leading to widespread homelessness, is "destroyed". It accurately conveys the severe damage and ruin caused by the fire.
Detailed Explanation for Blank 2
The sentence describes a cause and effect relationship: the great fire happened, which (2) ________ the city, and as a result, people became homeless. The action described by the word in blank (2) must be something that directly leads to the destruction of homes and the displacement of people.
- If the fire "smashed" or "shattered" the city, it doesn't quite capture the pervasive ruin caused by burning.
- If the fire "demolished" the city, it suggests the fire performed the act of pulling down buildings, which isn't accurate. The fire burns and ruins, making structures collapse or unsafe, which might then require demolition, but the fire's primary action is destructive burning.
- If the fire "destroyed" the city, it means it ruined buildings and infrastructure through burning. This directly explains why 100,000 people became homeless.
Therefore, "destroyed" is the most suitable word to fill blank 2 in the passage about the Great Fire of London.
| Option | Meaning | Fit in Context (Blank 2) |
|---|---|---|
| destroyed | ruined, damaged severely | Best fit. A fire severely damages a city. |
| smashed | broken into pieces violently | Poor fit. Not typical for overall fire damage to a city. |
| shattered | broken into small pieces | Poor fit. Not appropriate for a city. |
| demolished | pulled down deliberately | Poor fit. Fire causes destruction, not deliberate demolition. |
The correct choice for blank 2 is 'destroyed'.
Revision Table: Great Fire of London Keywords
| Term | Relevance to Passage |
|---|---|
| Great Fire of London | Main subject of the passage. |
| 1666 | Year the fire occurred. |
| Destroyed | Describes the effect of the fire on the city. |
| Homeless | Consequence of the fire's destruction. |
| London | Location of the event. |
| Pudding Lane | Where the fire is said to have started. |
| Wider streets | Improvement made after the fire. |
| Improved water supplies | Improvement made after the fire. |
| Bricks instead of wood | Change in building materials after the fire. |
Additional Information: The Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London was a major fire that swept through the central parts of the English city of London from Sunday, 2 September to Thursday, 6 September 1666. It is estimated to have destroyed the homes of up to 80,000 of the city's 100,000 inhabitants.
- The fire started at the bakery of Thomas Farriner on Pudding Lane.
- The fire spread rapidly due to strong winds and the prevalent use of combustible building materials like wood and thatch roofs.
- Although the human death toll was surprisingly low (officially recorded in single figures, though this is debated), the destruction of property was immense. St Paul's Cathedral was among the buildings lost.
- The fire led to significant changes in London's rebuilding, including the implementation of building codes that encouraged the use of non-combustible materials like brick and stone, wider streets, and improved public services like water supply for firefighting.
- The event is a significant point in London's history, marking a transition from its medieval structure to a more modern city layout.
Important Questions from Cloze Test
What would come in blank space (1)?
What would come in blank space (2)?
What would come in blank space (3)?
What would come in blank space (4)?
What would come in blank space (5)?
