All Exams Test series for 1 year @ ₹349 only
Question

Direction: In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.

When he was in college, a famous poet made a useful distinction for him. He had drunk ______ (1) ______ in the poet's company to be compelled to describe to him a poem he was ______ (2) ______  of. It would be a monologue of sorts, the self-contemplation of a student on a summer afternoon who is reading Euphuise. The poem itself would be a subtle ______ (3) ______ of euphuisms, translating the heat, the day, the student's concerns, into symmetrical posies; translating even his ______ (4) ______ and boredom with that famously foolish book into a euphuism.

The poet nodded his big head in a sympathetic, rhythmic way as this was ______ (5) ______ to him, then told him that there are two kinds of poems. There is the kind you write; there is the kind you talk about in bars. Both kinds have value and both are poems; but it's fatal to confuse them. 

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank no. 2.

This question was previously asked in
SSC CGL 2023 (Tier-II) Paper 1 Previous Year Paper (26-Oct-2023) (Shift-1)
The correct answer is

thinking

Analyzing Blank No. 2: Choosing the Right Verb

This question requires us to select the most appropriate word to fill in the second blank in the provided passage. The passage discusses a conversation between a student and a famous poet.

Context for Blank No. 2

The sentence containing the blank is: "He had drunk ______ (1) ______ in the poet's company to be compelled to describe to him a poem he was ______ (2) ______ of." We need to determine what the student was doing in relation to the poem.

Evaluating the Options for Blank No. 2

Let's examine each option in the context of the sentence:

  • Option 1: thinking - If the student was "thinking of" a poem, it means he was considering it, contemplating it, or planning it. This fits the idea of a student working on his own creative piece, a "monologue of sorts". The phrase "thinking of" is a common idiom.
  • Option 2: marking - "Marking of" doesn't form a standard or logical phrase in this context. Marking usually implies evaluating or identifying something, which doesn't fit the act of creating or describing a poem the student is conceptualizing.
  • Option 3: straying - "Straying of" is grammatically awkward and doesn't make sense here. Straying means deviating, and it's unlikely the student was "straying of" a poem he was potentially writing.
  • Option 4: drying - "Drying of" implies becoming dry, which has no relevance to the context of writing or discussing a poem.

Conclusion for Blank No. 2

Considering the context, the student is describing a poem he is working on. The most logical and idiomatic phrase is that he was "thinking of" the poem. This indicates the poem was in his thoughts, perhaps in the process of creation or conceptualization. Therefore, "thinking" is the best fit for blank No. 2.

Was this answer helpful?

Similar Questions

  1. Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank no. 1.

  2. Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank no. 3.

  3. Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank no. 4.

  4. Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank no. 5.

  5. Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank no. 1.

  6. Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank no. 2.

  7. Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank no. 3.

  8. Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank no. 4.

  9. Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank no. 5.

  10. Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank no.1.

Important Questions from Cloze Test

  1. What would come in place of 1

  2. What would come in place of 2

  3. What would come in place of 3

  4. What would come in place of 4

  5. What would come in place of 5

Need Expert Advice?
Upcoming Exams
SSC JHT
September 13, 2026
SSC Selection Post
September 16, 2026
UPSSSC PET
October 23, 2026
Test Series
SSC CGL img
SSC
SSC CGL (Tier I + Tier II) 2026 Mock Test Series - Latest Pattern
2503 Tests 6 Tests Free
4494 Attempts
4.2(847)
English, Hindi

Start Your Preparation with Prepp Mobile App

Download the app from Google Play & App Store
Download the app from Google Play & App Store
Prepp Mobile App