Select the most appropriate option for blank number 5.

In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.

The earliest kind of print technology was developed in China. This was a system of hand (1)_____. From AD 594 onwards, (2)______ in China were printed by (3)______ paper, against the inked surface (4)______ woodblocks. As both sides of (5)______ thin, porous sheet could not be printed, the traditional Chinese ‘accordion book’ was folded and stitched at the side.

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D

Explanation

The correct answer is option 4 i.e. the.

Passage Context:
As both sides of (5)______ thin, porous sheet could not be printed...

Grammar Explanation:
the is the definite article used to specify a particular thing known to the reader.
Here it specifies the thin, porous sheet that has already been introduced as the material being printed.

Incorrect options:
from is a preposition and doesn’t fit before a noun like “thin, porous sheet”
by is also a preposition and incorrect here
a is indefinite but the context suggests a specific type of sheet already known

Correct sentence: As both sides of the thin, porous sheet could not be printed...

Conclusion: The correct option is the.

SSC Selection Post 2023 PYQ — Question 20