Mahatma Gandhi was a lover of humanity and a ________ believer in the goodness of human nature.
- (a)staunch
- (b)powerful
- (c)cheerful
- (d)hopeful
Answer
A
Why
Correct — A, staunch. 'Staunch' means firm, loyal and unwavering, and 'a staunch believer' (or 'staunch supporter') is the standard collocation for someone deeply committed to a belief — fitting Gandhi's steadfast faith in human goodness.
Why the others are wrong
- (b)powerful — 'A powerful believer' is not an idiomatic pairing; 'powerful' describes force or influence, not steadfast conviction.
- (c)cheerful — 'Cheerful' means visibly happy, which does not describe the depth or firmness of a belief.
- (d)hopeful — 'Hopeful' means optimistic about the future; it weakens the sentence's claim of a settled, firm conviction.
Concept
Collocation cloze: 'staunch believer / supporter' is the standard pairing for firm, unwavering conviction.
Related PYQs
No directly related past PYQ was found.
Practice
- practice — not a real PYQ
She has always been a ______ supporter of women's education.
- (a)cheerful
- (b)staunch
- (c)hopeful
- (d)powerful
Answer(b) staunch — a firm, loyal supporter.
- practice — not a real PYQ
'Staunch' most nearly means
- (a)cheerful
- (b)loyal and firm
- (c)powerful
- (d)hopeful
Answer(b) loyal and firm — steadfast in commitment.