SarkariPYQ

SSC MTS 2024 PYQ — Question 88

SSC MTS - 30/10/2024 - (12:30 PM - 2:30 PM) • English • Q88

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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.
The Enlightenment, sometimes known as the ‘Age of Reason’, is described as the period of (1)________ scientific, political, and philosophical debate that characterised European culture (2) ________ the ‘long’ 18th century: from the late 17th century until the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815. This was an era of an enormous (3) ________ in thinking and reason, which historian Roy Porter describes as ‘decisive in the formation of modernity’. Centuries of custom and tradition were (4) ________ in favour of exploration, individuality, tolerance, and scientific (5) ________, all of which contributed to the formation of the ‘modern world’.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 3.

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B

Explanation

The correct answer is option 2 i.e. shift.

Context: The passage discusses the Enlightenment as a period of major changes in thinking and reason, highlighting a transformation in ideas across Europe.

Meaning of the words:

  • Shield – to protect, incorrect.

  • Shift – a change or movement, correct in this context.

  • Embed – to fix firmly, incorrect.

  • Secure – to make safe, incorrect.

Correct word: Shift, because it indicates the enormous change in thinking and reason during the Enlightenment.

Final Sentence: This was an era of an enormous shift in thinking and reason, which historian Roy Porter describes as ‘decisive in the formation of modernity’.

Hence, the chosen option is correct.