SarkariPYQ

SSC CHSL 2023 PYQ — Question 3

SSC CHSL - 07 Aug 2023 - Shift 4 • English • Q3

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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.

As I (1)________ the stream and began climbing the hill, the grunting and chattering increased, as though the langurs were trying to warn me of some hidden danger. I looked up and saw a great orange-gold leopard, sleek and spotted, (2)________ on a rock about twenty feet away from me. The leopard looked at me once, briefly and with an air of disdain, and then sprang into a dense thicket, making (3)________ no sound as it melted into the shadows. I had (4)________ the leopard in his quest for food. But a little later I heard the quickening cry of a barking deer as it fled through the forest. After that (5)________, I did not see the leopard again.

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. absolutely.

The sentence states that the leopard made no sound at all as it disappeared.

The word, that best modifies the phrase "no sound" and defines the degree of silence, is "absolutely".

"Absolutely" means completely or totally, which fits naturally before "no sound."

The incorrect options are:

Hardly: Means "barely" or "scarcely," which does not correctly describe the complete absence of sound.
Loudly: Means with a high volume, which is the opposite of what the sentence suggests.
Silently: Means "without making any noise," which does not fit as it is followed by "no sound" which seems to be repetition and does not define the intensity of the phrase.

Hence, the chosen option is correct.