SarkariPYQ

SSC CPO 2022 PYQ — Question 46

SSC CPO - 9 Nov 2022 - Shift 3 • English • Q46

Back to paper

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

Last week, I made the mistake of revisiting the village where I grew up. It used to be a small, friendly community with two farms and a number of old cottages round the village green. I realised very quickly that although in (1) ________ ways it appears unchanged, in reality hardly anything is the same. All the pretty cottages are there, of course, and both the traditional farm houses. (2) ________, none of the inhabitants are country people. All of them are commuters, who leave early every morning for the nearby town. Neither of the farmhouses are attached to a farm these days; the land (3) ________ and is managed by somebody in an office somewhere who has little interest in the village (4) ________. There are a few new houses but, they have no local character. You can see the same style anywhere in the country. The whole village, (5) ________, has been tidied up so much that it looks no more picturesque than any suburban street.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 1.

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C

Explanation

The correct answer is option 3 i.e. many.

  • Many is the correct option.
  • This term denotes a variety of approaches.
  • It works effectively because it highlights how the village looks to have been unchanged in a variety of ways, which stands in sharp contrast to reality.

Compared to other options:

  • Few: This term describes a limited number of methods. It doesn't work well here since the sentence tries to highlight the various ways that the village appears to have not changed, in contrast to the fact that nearly everything has changed.
  • Such: To highlight a certain sort or kind, this word usually comes before a noun, as in "such ways." In this context, it is grammatically incorrect.
  • Much: This term describes an enormous quantity of an uncountable thing. The word "much" does not work well here since "ways" is a countable noun.