FILLINTHEBLANKS

INTRODUCTION
Fill in the blanks is a type of question or phrase with one or more
typesofwordsreplacedwithablankline,givingthereaderachance
toaddthemissingword(s)
HOWTOPROCEED
1. First read the sentence to yourself so you can hear what is
being asked . Listen carefully to the way the sentence sounds each
timeandchoosetheoptionthatsoundsbestinthesentence.
2.

Trytoquicklyskimthetext.

3. Look for the clues in the sentence :It's not just the words
directlybeforeandafterablankthatcanprovideclues.Readingthe
entire sentence should help you figure out the general topic or
subjectarea.
4.

Makesureyourchoicefitslogicallyandgrammatically.

5.

Trytofigureoutthepartofspeech:

Theanswerstothemajorityoffillintheblankquestionswillbe
verbsornouns.Aneffectivestrategyforfillintheblankquestionsis
totrytodeterminewhichpartofspeechthemissingwordis.
If an article ("a," "an," or "the") appears directly before the
blank, the missing word is almost certainly a noun. The article "an"
willalsogiveyouanadditionalcluebecause"an"indicatesthatthe
missingwordstartswithavowelsound.

Ifablankisprecededbyanounorapronoun,itoftenindicates
a verb. Adverbs like "usually," "quickly," and "immediately" that
appearbeforeorafterablankalsoindicatethatthemissingwordisa
verb.Focusonthewords/termsgivenintheoptions.
6. Lookatthecontextaroundthegapandtrytopredicttheword
or type of word that could logically fill each gap before you look at
thewordoptions.
7. Rejectoptionsthatyouknowarenotappropriateintermsof
meaningorthegrammaticalcontext.
8. Readeachsentencetoyourselfseveraltimes,addingineachof
the remaining possible options onebyone. This will help you
activateyourknowledgeofcollocation.
9.

Checkthewordsoneithersideofeachblank.

10. Ifthesentenceisoftwoblanks,thencheckthepartofspeech
inthefirstoption,ifitdoesntmatch,thatmeansthatoptionshould
berejectedandviceversa.
EXAMPLES
Q.15.Inthefollowingquestionssentencesaregivenwithblanksto
befilledinwithanappropriateword.Fouralternativesaresuggested
foreachquestion.Choosethecorrectalternativeoutofthefourand
indicateitintheAnswersheet.
Q.1. Apersonwho___onhisownefforthasthebestchancetowin.
(A)makes
(D)runs

(B)puts

(C)relies

Q.2. Whenhedied,Ramanujan___behind3notebooks,

(A)wasleaving
(D)leaves

(B)hadleft

(C)left

Q.3. Forallhis___heisa.
(A)wealth,miser
(D)stupidity,fool

(B)health,player

(C)tricks,cheat

Q.4. Inaclassroomstudentsaretobetrainedtolove___
(A)eachother (B)allothers
(D)altogether

(C)oneanother

Q.5. Mr.Obiputhiswholelife___thework.,
(A)on
(D)upon

(B)in

(C)into

ANSWERS
Q.1.(C)

Q.2.(B)

Q.3.(D) Q.4.(C)

Q.5.(B)