Simulations of the 20th century by climate models that exclude the observed increase ____ greenhouse gases fail to simulate the increase in temperature over the second half of the 20th century.
- (a)of
- (b)in
- (c)by
- (d)to
Correct — B, in. This is a preposition-cloze item. The noun 'increase' takes 'in' when naming the quantity that grows — an 'increase in greenhouse gases' — and the later clause of the same sentence confirms the pattern with 'the increase in temperature'.
- (a)of — 'Increase of' can mark the amount of the rise ('an increase of 5%'), but not the thing that grows, which takes 'in'.
- (c)by — 'By' marks the size of a change ('rose by 10 units'), not what is increasing.
- (d)to — 'Increase to' names the level reached ('increased to 40'), not the substance that grows.
This is a preposition-cloze item — the noun 'increase' pairs with 'in' to name what is growing (an increase in prices, in temperature, in gases).
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Fill in the blank: 'There has been a sharp increase ____ fuel prices this year.'
- (a)of
- (b)in
- (c)by
- (d)on
Answer(b) in — 'increase in' names what is rising (fuel prices).
- practice — not a real PYQ
Fill in the blank: 'We noticed a steady rise ____ the number of applicants.'
- (a)in
- (b)of
- (c)to
- (d)at
Answer(a) in — like 'increase', the noun 'rise' takes 'in' for what is growing.