Direction: 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. The challenge in Madras high court to the Emergency-era shifting of education from state list to concurrent list ______ (1) ______ a futile exercise in turning back the clock. Forty-six years have passed ______ (2) ______ the 42 Constitution Amendment Act. In this period, the education sector has seen far too many changes, and most can’t be ______ (3) ______ . For instance, a common national medical test now allows students the ease of appearing for just one examination instead of multiple ones conducted by each state. States still enjoy ______ (4) ______ to operate their own universities, schools and education syllabus. Private sector is also flourishing in education. And the policy tinkering at all levels goes on. UGC is restructuring UG, PG and doctoral programmes. States are trying out clustering of schools, closing down smaller schools. Instruction in English seems to have lost favour at the Centre, even though society is ______ (5) ______ headed in the opposite direction. But the moot point is no one entity can claim complete control. It is a diverse ecosystem. Far more important issues than locating education in the Constitution are at stake.
Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank no. 1.
is
Understanding Subject-Verb Agreement for Blank 1
The question asks us to fill in the first blank in the provided passage. To do this correctly, we need to look at the sentence containing the blank and determine the subject and the required verb form.
The sentence with blank 1 is: "The challenge in Madras high court to the Emergency-era shifting of education from state list to concurrent list ______ (1) ______ a futile exercise in turning back the clock."
Let's identify the subject of this sentence. The main subject is "The challenge". The phrase "in Madras high court to the Emergency-era shifting of education from state list to concurrent list" modifies "The challenge" but does not change the subject's number (singular or plural).
Since "The challenge" is a singular subject, the verb filling blank (1) must also be in a singular form to agree with the subject. The sentence describes the nature of this challenge, suggesting a linking verb is needed.
Analyzing the Options for Blank 1
Let's examine the given options:
- have: This is a plural verb form. It does not agree with the singular subject "The challenge".
- were: This is a plural past tense verb form. It does not agree with the singular subject "The challenge".
- had: This is a past tense auxiliary or main verb. While grammatically possible in some contexts, "had a futile exercise" doesn't fit the structure or meaning needed here, which is describing what the challenge is.
- is: This is a singular present tense verb form. It agrees with the singular subject "The challenge" and functions correctly as a linking verb to describe the challenge as "a futile exercise".
Based on subject-verb agreement and the context of the sentence, the singular present tense verb "is" is the most appropriate choice for blank (1).
Step-by-Step Selection Process
1. Read the sentence containing the blank to understand its meaning and structure.
2. Identify the subject of the sentence: "The challenge".
3. Determine the number of the subject: "The challenge" is singular.
4. Recognize that the verb must agree with the singular subject.
5. Evaluate each option:
- "have" is plural - Incorrect.
- "were" is plural - Incorrect.
- "had" doesn't fit the descriptive context - Incorrect.
- "is" is singular and fits the descriptive context - Correct.
6. Select the option that fits the grammar and meaning: "is".
Therefore, the completed sentence fragment is: "The challenge ... is a futile exercise..."
| Option | Verb Form | Subject-Verb Agreement with "The challenge" | Fits Sentence Meaning | Appropriateness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| have | Plural Present | No | No | Incorrect |
| were | Plural Past | No | No | Incorrect |
| had | Past Tense | Yes (as auxiliary or main) | No (doesn't describe what it 'is') | Incorrect |
| is | Singular Present | Yes | Yes | Correct |
Revision Table: Key Concepts Revisited
| Concept | Explanation | Relevance to Question |
|---|---|---|
| Subject-Verb Agreement | A singular subject requires a singular verb form; a plural subject requires a plural verb form. | Crucial for selecting the correct verb ("is") to match the singular subject ("The challenge"). |
| Identifying the Subject | The noun or pronoun performing the action or being described in the sentence. Modifying phrases do not change the subject's number. | Helps determine that "The challenge" is the singular subject, despite the long modifying phrase. |
| Linking Verbs | Verbs (like 'is', 'am', 'are', 'was', 'were', 'be') that connect the subject to a word or phrase that describes or identifies the subject. | "is" functions as a linking verb here, connecting "The challenge" to the description "a futile exercise". |
Additional Information on English Grammar for MCQs
Mastering subject-verb agreement is fundamental for many grammar-based questions in tests. Always find the true subject of the sentence, ignoring intervening phrases (like prepositional phrases or relative clauses), to determine if a singular or plural verb is needed.
Common singular subjects include singular nouns (e.g., book, student, challenge), singular pronouns (e.g., he, she, it, this, that), and collective nouns treated as a single unit (e.g., team, committee - though these can be plural depending on context, usually treated as singular). Common plural subjects include plural nouns (e.g., books, students, challenges) and plural pronouns (e.g., they, we, these, those).
Understanding the tense of the sentence is also important. The passage describes the challenge in the present context ("has passed", "has seen", "allows", "enjoy", "is restructuring", "goes on"), indicating that a present tense verb ("is") is appropriate for describing the current nature of the challenge.
Similar Questions
Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 5.
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Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 3.
Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 2.
Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 4.
Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank no. 2.
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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)?
