In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank. Appearances may not reveal the man. So, you shouldn't make (1) _________ about a man's character based on how he (2) _________ . People smile and smile, yet prove to be (3) _________ . On the other hand, people with rough exteriors prove to be the (4) _________ and most considerate people on earth. They are the people who are beautiful from (5) _________ .
Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 2.(
- (a)glitters
- (b)shows
- (c)admits
- (d)looks
Answer
Why
Correct — D. The clause is "based on how he ___", so the blank needs a verb that stands without an object and describes appearance.
The passage has already named its theme in the opening line: "Appearances may not reveal the man." Looks here is a linking verb meaning appears, and how he looks is the ordinary English for a person's outward appearance.
That is the trigger — how plus a verb of seeming — and option (d) is the only choice that supplies it.
Why the others are wrong
- (a)glitters — glitters means to shine with flashes of light. It suits gold or jewellery, not a person's bearing; the proverb about all that glitters is what makes it tempting here.
- (b)shows — shows normally takes an object — you show something to someone. How he shows leaves the verb dangling, and read as shows off it would describe behaviour, not appearance.
- (c)admits — admits means confesses, or allows entry, and both senses need an object. Nothing in a passage about outward appearance concerns confession.
Concept
This blank tests a linking verb of perception. Look, seem, appear, sound and feel can join a subject to a description with no object at all: he looks tired, it seems fine.
The clause how he ___ ends there, with no object slot after the verb, so any option that demands one is already out.
Meaning then confirms grammar. The passage argues that outward appearance misleads, so the verb in this blank has to be about appearing, and looks is the word English uses for it.
All four options carry the third-person -s, so the verb ending decides nothing here. The test is whether the verb can stand objectless and whether it means appears.
Key facts
- Look is a linking verb and can join a subject to a description with no object, as in he looks tired.
- How someone looks means how they appear, not how they see.
- Glitter means to shine with flashes of reflected light.
- Show and admit need objects in the senses offered here, and the clause gives them none.
Study next
Common traps
- Choosing glitters because the proverb about gold is sitting in the back of your mind.
- Testing only what each option means and never whether the clause leaves room for an object.
SSC sets these blanks so the sentence before the gap does most of the work — here the opening line, "Appearances may not reveal the man", settles the blank before you reach the options. The block runs on at English Q23 to Q25 of this shift.
Related PYQs
No directly related past PYQ was found.