SarkariPYQ

SSC CPO 2022 PYQ — Question 48

SSC CPO - 9 Nov 2022 - Shift 3 • English • Q48

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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 3.

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D

Explanation

The correct answer is option 4 i.e. has been sold.

  • "Has been sold" is a suitable option.
  • "Has been sold" is the present perfect tense, which is used to express events that occurred at some point in the past but are still relevant to the present.
  • This option also fits the context well because it implies that the land was sold at some point in the past and is connected to the current situation of the village.
  • Compared to other options:
    • Had been sold: To express that one action was finished before another in the past, the past perfect tense is employed here. There is no mention of any other previous event, but the context implies the land was sold before whatever else occurred.
    • Sells: General truths or everyday actions are expressed in the present simple tense. Given that we are discussing a particular previous event, it doesn't make sense in this situation.
    • Sold: "Sold" is the simple past tense for an activity that has already been finished. It is not as successful in tying the previous deed to the current circumstance as the present perfect tense is.