In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank. Gandhi, (1)_________ father of the Indian nation, practiced ‘ahimsa’ in his personal and political life. He firmly believed that non-violence is not meant merely for monks, saints and priests; it is for commoners too. If violence is the law of the (2)_______-beasts, non-violence is the law of the civilised human species. ‘The spirit of the brute is inactive and so he knows no law; he knows only physical might. The dignity of man requires obedience to a higher law, to strength of the spirit,’ Gandhi said. Ahimsa, to Gandhiji, meant that one should love all; even (3)________ enemies. And the expression of love, ahimsa, should be in such a manner that it impresses itself indelibly upon the so-called enemy, and then the enemy must return that love. It is a practically (4)________ philosophy. Gandhi was realistic; he believed that non-violence provides the fullest protection to one’s self-respect and sense of humour. It won’t work in the defence of (5)_______ gains and immoral acts. He called his marches off when people indulged in violence during protests for India’s freedom. His faith in ‘ahimsa’ played an influential role in enabling the creation of an independent India in 1947, with minimum bloodshed, breaking the shackles framed by the British.
Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 4.
- (a)prove
- (b)approved
- (c)proven
- (d)proving
Answer
Why
Correct — C. The blank stands between an adverb and a noun, a practically _____ philosophy, so it is an adjective slot, and all four options are forms of one verb.
Rule: a past participle before a noun carries a passive sense. A proven method has been proved, so proven says the philosophy has been demonstrated — which is what practically, meaning in practice, sets up.
The passage backs that reading, crediting ahimsa with a role in the creation of an independent India in 1947. Option (c).
Why the others are wrong
- (a)prove — Prove is the base verb. A base form cannot sit between an adverb and a noun, because that position belongs to an adjective.
- (b)approved — Approved is a genuine participial adjective, but it means officially sanctioned, and the passage points to ahimsa working in practice rather than to anyone sanctioning it.
- (d)proving — Proving is the active participle: a proving ground is a place that proves things. Here the philosophy is what gets proved, so the passive participle is the one the slot wants.
Concept
A slot between an adverb and a noun is an adjective slot, and participles are the commonest adjectives to turn up in it.
The two participles point opposite ways. The -ing form is active: a growing problem grows. The -ed or -en form is passive: a proven method has been proved.
So ask which way the action runs. If the noun does the acting, use the -ing form. If the noun is acted on, use the past participle. That one question settles most participial adjective blanks.
Practically carries two senses, almost and in practice. The passage's argument, that Gandhi tested non-violence in real political life, fixes the second here.
Key facts
- A present participle before a noun has an active sense, as in a growing problem.
- A past participle before a noun has a passive sense, as in a proven method.
- Proved and proven are both accepted past participles of prove, and proven is the usual choice in front of a noun.
- Practically means both almost and in practice, and only the context separates them.
Study next
Common traps
- Choosing approved because it is the familiar word, without asking who would have approved
- Choosing proving because the philosophy sounds like the thing doing the work
This cloze mixes function words with word-form choices like this one, where all four options come from a single verb. Blank 2 at English Q.22 of this paper runs the same active-against-passive participle contrast inside a compound adjective.
Related PYQs
No directly related past PYQ was found.