Select the most appropriate option to substitute the underlined segment in the given sentence. If there is no need to substitute it, select ‘No substitution required’.I rang up an old friend of mine but she doesn’t pick out the phone.

Question

Select the most appropriate option to substitute the underlined segment in the given sentence. If there is no need to substitute it, select &lsquo;No substitution required&rsquo;.I rang up an old friend of mine but she doesn&rsquo;t pick out the phone.

Prepp Team · Accepted Answer

Understanding the Sentence and Underlined Phrase

The sentence is: "I rang up an old friend of mine but she doesn’t pick out the phone." We need to find the most appropriate substitute for the underlined segment "pick out". The sentence describes a past action ("I rang up") and a subsequent result or lack of action ("she doesn't pick out the phone").

Analyzing the Original Phrase: "doesn't pick out"

Let's look at the phrase "pick out". The phrasal verb "pick out" usually means to select something carefully from a group, like "pick out a dress" or "pick out a winner". It is not the correct phrasal verb to describe the action of answering a telephone. The correct phrasal verb for answering a telephone call is "pick up".

Also, the first part of the sentence, "I rang up", is in the simple past tense, indicating an action that happened at a specific time in the past. The second part of the sentence, describing whether the friend answered, should logically refer to that same past event. However, "doesn't pick out" uses the simple present tense ("doesn't pick"), which refers to a habitual action or a general truth, not a specific event in the past. Therefore, both the phrasal verb and the tense in the original phrase are incorrect in this context.

Evaluating the Options

We need to find an option that uses the correct phrasal verb and the correct tense to fit the past context of the sentence.

Let's examine each option:

Option 1: didn’t pick up
- This option uses the phrasal verb "pick up", which is the correct one for answering a phone call.
- It uses the simple past tense negative form "didn't pick up". This tense aligns with the simple past tense "rang up" used in the first part of the sentence, describing a past event.
- Substituting this into the sentence gives: "I rang up an old friend of mine but she didn’t pick up the phone." This sentence is grammatically correct and makes perfect sense.
Option 2: No substitution required
- As we discussed, the original phrase "doesn't pick out the phone" is incorrect because it uses the wrong phrasal verb ("pick out" instead of "pick up") and the wrong tense (present instead of past for a specific past event).
- Therefore, substitution is required.
Option 3: wasn't picked up
- This option uses "picked up", which is correct for answering the phone.
- However, "wasn't picked up" is in the passive voice. The subject here is "she" (the friend), who is the person who would perform the action of picking up the phone. The active voice is appropriate here, where "she" is the subject doing the action (or not doing it). The passive voice would be "the phone wasn't picked up by her". The sentence structure requires an active verb performed by "she".
- Also, while "wasn't picked up" refers to the past, the active past tense form "didn't pick up" is more direct and fits the subject "she" better.
Option 4: isn't pick out
- This option uses the incorrect phrasal verb "pick out".
- It is also grammatically incorrect. The structure "isn't + base verb" is not a standard English construction. It should be "isn't picking out" (present continuous) or "doesn't pick out" (simple present), neither of which would be appropriate for the past context anyway.

Conclusion: Selecting the Appropriate Substitution

Comparing the options, "didn't pick up" is the only one that uses the correct phrasal verb ("pick up") and the appropriate tense (simple past) to match the context of the sentence, where "I rang up" describes a past event. It correctly states that in response to the past action of calling, the friend did not answer the phone at that time.

Option	Phrasal Verb	Tense/Voice	Appropriateness
doesn't pick out (original)	Incorrect ("pick out")	Simple Present	Incorrect
didn’t pick up	Correct ("pick up")	Simple Past (Active)	Correct
No substitution required	N/A	N/A	Incorrect (substitution IS required)
wasn't picked up	Correct ("pick up")	Simple Past (Passive)	Incorrect (Active voice needed)
isn't pick out	Incorrect ("pick out")	Incorrect grammar/tense	Incorrect

Therefore, the most appropriate option to substitute the underlined segment is "didn’t pick up".

Revision Table: Key Grammar Points

Concept	Explanation	Example
Phrasal Verbs	Verbs combined with prepositions or adverbs to create new meanings. "Pick up" means to answer a phone. "Pick out" means to choose.	She picked up the phone. (Answered it) She picked out a dress. (Chose it)
Simple Past Tense	Used for actions completed at a definite time in the past. Formed with -ed for regular verbs, or irregular forms. Negatives use "didn't + base verb".	I rang him yesterday. She didn't answer.
Subject-Verb Agreement	The verb must agree with its subject in number and person. Tense must be consistent with the context.	When I called (past), she didn't pick up (past).

Additional Information on Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs are common in English and can be tricky because their meaning is often different from the individual words. Understanding the context is crucial to using the correct phrasal verb.

Pick up: Can mean lift something, learn something, improve, or answer a phone.
Pick out: Means to choose or select from a group.

In the context of a phone call, "pick up" is the standard phrasal verb used to indicate answering the call. The sentence describes a specific past event (ringing the friend) and the outcome of that event (she did not answer). Thus, the past tense "didn't pick up" is necessary to match the tense of "rang up".