In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank. People often say that the stars govern their fate but they forget the fact that success or failure is the result of one’s own (1)________. If we sow chaff, we can’t reap grain; and the result or consequence of an action depends on what one does and to the extent he (2)________ it. If we work hard, we succeed only to the extent that we work. People who think that the law of karma is (3)________ may feel that if one is destined to get something he will always get it whether he strives for it or not. But experience tells us that reward and punishments are the direct result of our action. Honesty and hard work never go unrewarded and (4)________ and evil deeds never go (5)________. In fact even the law of karma, in its proper sense, means that the fruit we get is decided by whatever actions we did in the past.
Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 3.
- (a)supreme
- (b)most
- (c)more
- (d)greatest
Answer
Why
Correct — A. The blank sits straight after is, with no article in front of it and no 'than' behind it. That slot needs a plain adjective — one word that can stand alone after a linking verb.
Supreme is that word, and it means highest or overriding.
The sense fits what follows: people who hold the law of karma to be supreme are exactly the people who believe destiny delivers 'whether he strives for it or not'.
The other three cannot complete 'the law of karma is ______' on their own, so option (a) is what fits.
Why the others are wrong
- (b)most — Most would have to modify something here — most powerful, most binding. Left alone after is, it makes 'the law of karma is most' an unfinished phrase.
- (c)more — More is comparative and demands a second term: more than what? The sentence offers nothing to compare the law of karma with.
- (d)greatest — Greatest is a superlative, and a superlative needs a group to be greatest among. The sentence names no such group, and the meaning wanted is 'overriding', not 'the biggest of several'.
Concept
Degree words and adjectives are not interchangeable, and the slot after a linking verb tells you which one you need.
More and most work in front of another word — most powerful, more useful — or in front of a noun, as in most people. Neither can stand alone as the complement of 'is'.
Greatest is a real adjective, but a superlative carries a built-in comparison, so it wants a set to select from and normally an article with it.
Supreme compares nothing — it states a rank — which is why it can complete 'is ______' by itself.
Meaning matters as much as form here. The people described believe karma overrides effort, and that is what 'supreme' says; a comparative would leave the belief half-stated.
Key facts
- After a linking verb such as is, 'more' and 'most' cannot stand alone as the complement — they need an adjective or adverb to modify.
- A superlative normally takes 'the' and implies a set that is being compared.
- 'Supreme' means highest in rank or authority and takes no comparison.
Study next
Common traps
- Treating 'most' as a synonym of 'very' and reading 'is most' as a complete phrase.
- Choosing 'greatest' because it sounds emphatic, without asking greatest among what.
A cloze blank can turn on the part of speech the slot needs rather than on the meaning of the passage.
The same choice, an adjective against its own noun, is keyed at 13 Sep 2024, 09:00, EC Q.22, where 'those who have (2)____ transcendental knowledge' takes deep and not 'depth'.
Related PYQs
No directly related past PYQ was found.