In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank. The third National Wildlife Action Plan for 2017- 2031, underlying India’s plan for wildlife conservation, was unveiled (1)______ the Global Wildlife Programme conference. The plan recognises (2)________ addresses concerns pertaining to climate changes and its impact on wildlife . The plan details the importance of ecosystems for food production, health and other aspects of (3)______ survival and sustainable development. It also emphasises preservation of genetic (4)_______ and sustainable utilisation of species and ecosystems which has direct bearing on our scientific advancements and support to millions of rural communities. The plan underscores rehabilitation of threatened wildlife species (5)_______ inland aquatic, coastal and marine ecosystems while conserving their habitats.
Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 2.
- (a)in
- (b)to
- (c)and
- (d)for
Answer
Why
Correct — C. Look at what stands on either side of the blank: recognises and addresses, both finite verbs carrying the third-person -s.
Two finite verbs that share one subject — the plan — have to be joined by a coordinating conjunction, and only one word on offer can do that job.
The plan recognises and addresses concerns: one subject, two verbs. Option (c).
Why the others are wrong
- (a)in — in is a preposition and must be followed by a noun. That forces addresses to be read as the plural noun, which leaves concerns with nothing to govern it.
- (b)to — to would need the base form — recognises to address. The passage prints addresses, the -s form, and no infinitive marker can take that.
- (d)for — for here can only be the preposition, and a preposition takes a noun. Read instead as the coordinator meaning because, it joins whole clauses, not two verbs sharing one subject.
Concept
This blank is a structure test, not a meaning test, and it is settled by parts of speech.
Recognises and addresses both carry the third-person -s, so both are finite verbs with the same subject. Two finite verbs in one clause need a coordinating conjunction between them — and, but, or, so.
A preposition cannot sit there, because a preposition takes a noun phrase as its object, and a finite verb is not a noun phrase.
The -s ending is the whole clue. to is the tempting option because to plus verb is so common, but to takes the base form address, not the addresses the passage actually prints.
Key facts
- Two finite verbs sharing one subject are joined by a coordinating conjunction, not by a preposition.
- The coordinating conjunctions are and, but, or, nor, for, so and yet.
- The to of a to-infinitive is followed by the base form, so to addresses is impossible.
- A preposition must be followed by a noun phrase, which a finite verb cannot be.
Study next
Common traps
- Choosing to because to plus verb feels natural, without checking that addresses carries an -s.
- Reading addresses as the noun and treating the blank as a preposition slot.
- Assuming any blank between two words must be a preposition.
Structure-word blanks ask you to settle the part of speech first and the meaning second.
A connector blank of the same kind is keyed at 19 Sep 2024, 12:30 PM, English Q.23, where However, Since, Although and In spite of compete. The key is Although, because the blank opens a clause that has its own subject and verb.
Related PYQs
No directly related past PYQ was found.