Lesson: Sentence Completion - 07
Check for Idiom, Usage, and Grammatical Context
Sentence Completions cover not just overall sentence sense, but also the following three
concepts:
- Word usage (how well a particular word conveys the writer’s intended meaning)
- Idiom (how ideas are expressed as commonly used phrases)
- Grammatical context (whether a word or phrase makes grammatical sense in
context)
Challenging Sentence Completions often call for close judgments calls
based on usage, idiom, or grammatical context. Pay close attention to whether the
word(s) used are a proper way to convey the idea. Here’s a good example:
Example
Unless we grant historians some license to interpret historical events, we essentially
_______ the historian’s role to that of a mere archivist or journalist.
- define
- demote
- expand
- alter
- diminish
Solved Example
Explaination
In the sentence, the word “mere” is very important.
It suggests a risk that the historian’s role might be reduced. To grant someone
“license” is to allow them leeway or freedom; hence, not doing so would be to limit
their freedom in some way.
We should complete the sentence with a word that
conveys this idea. Of the five choices, only demote and diminish serve the
purpose. However, saying that a person’s role is demoted uses the word
improperly. (It is the person himself, not his or her role, that is demoted.) On the
other hand, describing someone’s role as diminished uses the that word properly.
The correct answer is (E).
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Video Lessons and 10 Fully Explained Grand Tests
Large number of solved practice MCQ with explanations. Video Lessons and 10 Fully explained Grand/Full Tests.