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. 2.
since
Analyzing the Passage and Blank 2
The question asks us to fill in blank number 2 in the given passage. Let's look at the sentence containing the blank:
"Forty-six years have passed ______ (2) ______ the 42 Constitution Amendment Act."
This sentence talks about a duration of time ("Forty-six years") that has elapsed since a specific event ("the 42 Constitution Amendment Act"). We need a word that connects this duration to the past event from which it is measured.
Evaluating the Options for Blank 2
Let's examine each option to see which one fits grammatically and contextually in the blank:
- from: The phrase "Forty-six years have passed from..." is not standard English usage when referring to time elapsed since an event. "From" is usually used to indicate a starting point in space or time, but not typically with "passed" in this way.
- for: The word "for" is used to indicate the duration itself (e.g., "He lived there for forty-six years") or a purpose, but not the starting point from which time has passed. "Forty-six years have passed for the Act" does not make sense in this context.
- as: The word "as" is used for comparison, role, or simultaneously occurring events. It does not fit grammatically or logically to indicate the starting point of a duration that has passed. "Forty-six years have passed as the Act" is incorrect.
- since: The word "since" is used to indicate a point in the past from which a period of time extends up to the present. The structure "X years have passed since [event]" is a common and correct way to express the duration elapsed from that event. For example, "Ten years have passed since I last saw her."
Determining the Correct Word for Blank 2
Based on the analysis, the word that correctly indicates the past event from which the forty-six years have passed is "since". The phrase "Forty-six years have passed since the 42 Constitution Amendment Act" means that the Act happened forty-six years ago, and that much time has elapsed since then.
Conclusion: Filling Blank 2
Therefore, the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 2 is "since".
The completed sentence is: "Forty-six years have passed since the 42 Constitution Amendment Act."
Revision Table: Understanding Time Connectors
| Word | Common Usage with Time | Example | Fits Blank 2? |
|---|---|---|---|
| from | Starting point (e.g., from Monday to Friday, from 1990) | The store is open from 9 am. | No |
| for | Duration (e.g., for three hours, for a week) | He studied for five hours. | No |
| as | Role, comparison, simultaneous events (e.g., as a teacher, as he walked) | He worked as a waiter. | No |
| since | Point in the past from which time is measured (often with present perfect or past perfect) | It has rained since morning. / Forty years have passed since the event. | Yes |
Additional Information: The 42nd Constitution Amendment Act
The 42nd Constitution Amendment Act, enacted in 1976 during the Emergency period, is a significant amendment in Indian constitutional history. One of its key changes was shifting the subject of 'education' from the State List to the Concurrent List of the Constitution of India. This change allowed both the central government and the state governments to legislate on education. The passage discusses the implications and the current state of the education sector decades after this amendment.
Understanding the context of the 42nd Amendment helps appreciate why the passage mentions the 'Emergency-era shifting of education' and the time elapsed 'since' this event.
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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)?
