Select the most appropriate option to substitute the underlined part of the given sentence. If there is no need to substitute it, select ‘No substitution’. As the rulers of the planet, humans like to think that it is the largest creatures that will emerge victorious from the struggle for survival.
- (a)No substitution
- (b)it is the most large creatures
- (c)they are a largest creature
- (d)they are the largest creatures
Answer
Why
Correct — D. The frame decides it.
As the rulers of the planet, humans like to think that ... sets up a thought humans have about themselves, so the that-clause wants the pronoun they, pointing back to humans — they are the ones who will emerge victorious.
The superlative then has to be right as well. Large is a one-syllable adjective, so it takes -est behind the definite article — the largest — and only option (d) gets both halves right.
Why the others are wrong
- (a)No substitution — No substitution keeps the it-cleft, which throws the emphasis on to the creatures rather than on to humans. The opening clause has humans thinking about themselves, so the that-clause wants they.
- (b)it is the most large creatures — Most large is not how a one-syllable adjective forms its superlative. Large takes -est — largest — and "most" is reserved for longer adjectives such as most beautiful.
- (c)they are a largest creature — A largest creature puts an indefinite article on a superlative, and a superlative singles out a unique member of a group, so it takes the. The option also mismatches itself: 'they are' is plural and 'a largest creature' is singular.
Concept
Two things are being tested in one underline, which is why every changed option alters two things at once.
The first is pronoun reference. The that-clause reports what humans think, and the opening 'As the rulers of the planet' makes it a thought about themselves — so they, not the impersonal it.
The second is the form of the superlative. One-syllable adjectives take -er and -est (large, larger, largest); longer adjectives take more and most (beautiful, more beautiful, most beautiful). The two systems are never mixed, and a superlative takes the, because it identifies one member of a group as unmatched.
An honest caveat. It is X that ... is a genuine English pattern, the it-cleft, and in it the verb agrees with the dummy it, not with what follows — so the printed sentence is not ungrammatical, and a candidate can read it and hear nothing wrong.
What decides the item is sense rather than grammar: the frame makes the thought one humans have about themselves, which is the reading the key takes.
The rest of the list is unavailable however you read the original, because both remaining rewrites break the superlative rule outright.
Key facts
- One-syllable adjectives form the superlative with -est: large, larger, largest.
- A superlative normally takes "the", because it identifies a unique member of a group.
- Long adjectives use more and most instead of -er and -est, and the two systems are not combined.
- In an it-cleft the verb agrees with the dummy subject it, not with the phrase after it: "It is the largest creatures that ..." is standard English.
Study next
Common traps
- Reading only the second half of each option and missing that "it is" has become "they are".
- Accepting "most large" because most is the usual superlative marker for longer adjectives.
- Taking "No substitution" on the strength of the sentence sounding fluent at speed.
SSC offers a "No substitution" choice in these items, so you need a positive reason either to change the underline or to keep it.
The same format tests word order at 17 Sep 2024, 09:00, English Q.19, where the key is "hard you work", and a past conditional at 17 Sep 2024, 16:00, English Q.13, where it is "would not have postponed".
Related PYQs
No directly related past PYQ was found.