In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank. From the beginning (1)_________ the eighteenth century, the ladies of European cities covered (2)_______ faces in layers of paint and powder. This particular fashion was largely brought (3) __________ by the urgent need to disguise the ravages of smallpox, (4)_________ left their faces pitted and scarred. During this same period, the ‘beauty spot’ was introduced to cover (5) __________ a facial defect.
Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 5.
- (a)to
- (b)for
- (c)up
- (d)on
Answer
Why
Correct — C. The passage sentence carrying blank 5 is "During this same period, the ‘beauty spot’ was introduced to cover (5) _____ a facial defect."
The trigger is the sense the sentence needs: concealing, not merely covering. "Cover up" is the phrasal verb that means to hide something you do not want seen.
Of the four particles offered, only up makes an English phrasal verb that can take "a facial defect" as its object.
Why the others are wrong
- (a)to — "Cover to" is not an English combination. "To" would need a destination or an infinitive verb after it, and "a facial defect" is neither.
- (b)for — "Cover for" takes a person — standing in for someone at work, or making excuses that protect them. It never means hiding a blemish.
- (d)on — "Cover on" is not a phrasal verb. "On" would have to mark a surface, which leaves "cover" with no object at all.
Concept
Cover up has two linked uses: physically hiding something from view — a stain, a scar, a mark — and figuratively hiding wrongdoing, which gives the hyphenated noun cover-up.
The particle "up" is doing what grammarians call perfective work: it adds the sense of carrying the action through completely. It is the same "up" you hear in eat up, use up and finish up.
Once you recognise that, you reach for "up" whenever a sentence needs concealing rather than merely covering.
Plain "cover a facial defect" would also be English — but a blank has to be filled, and only "up" makes a phrasal verb here.
The gap sits between the verb and its object, which is exactly where a particle goes.
Key facts
- "Cover up" means to conceal something you do not want seen.
- The hyphenated noun "cover-up" means an organised attempt to hide wrongdoing.
- "Cover for someone" means to do their work in their absence, or to make excuses on their behalf.
- "Up" as a particle often adds the sense of completeness: eat up, use up, drink up, finish up.
Study next
Common traps
- Deciding the sentence reads fine with no particle at all, and then guessing among the four.
- Confusing "cover up" (conceal) with "cover for" (stand in for someone).
This passage carries two particle blanks — "brought ___" at English Q.23 and "cover ___" here (09 Sep 2024, 12:30) — so the particle sets are worth more marks in the cloze than any single grammar rule.
SSC chooses everyday verbs whose meaning flips entirely with the particle, so learn the sets, not the verbs.
Related PYQs
No directly related past PYQ was found.