Many, _______, hesitate to publicly broach such question for fear of nurturing discrimination.
- (a)understandably
- (b)despite
- (c)until
- (d)of course
Correct — A, understandably. The blank sits between two commas, so it needs a parenthetical adverb, and 'understandably' fits the logic — people hesitate 'for fear of nurturing discrimination', so their hesitation is reasonable and understandable.
- (b)despite — 'Despite' is a preposition needing an object (e.g. 'despite the risk'); it cannot stand alone between the commas as a parenthetical.
- (c)until — 'Until' is a conjunction/preposition of time and cannot sit parenthetically as an inserted adverb here.
- (d)of course — 'Of course' is grammatically parenthetical, but it merely asserts the point is obvious rather than tying the hesitation to its justifiable cause; 'understandably' matches the 'for fear of...' reason better.
A word inserted between two commas must be a parenthetical adverb. The right choice also has to agree with the sentence's causal logic, not just fit grammatically.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Fill in the blank: The scheme, _______, drew wide criticism after the price hike.
- (a)predictably
- (b)despite
- (c)until
- (d)toward
Answer(a) predictably — a parenthetical adverb that fits the expected outcome.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which word can be inserted between two commas as a parenthetical comment?
- (a)regrettably
- (b)despite
- (c)although
- (d)into
Answer(a) regrettably — an adverb, unlike the preposition/conjunction options.