SSC Stenographer 2022 PYQ — Question 84

SSC Stenographer - 17 Nov 2022 - Shift 2 • English • Q84

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 hopping kangaroo is a (1) _______ sight in every snapshot relating to Australia. Members of the kangaroo family can be as small as a rat or as big as a man. Kangaroos are found mainly in Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea. Kangaroos, which are big-footed marsupials that evolved in Australia, use their short front legs like arms. The man-sized kangaroos of Australia is(2) ________of speeding up to 88 km/h for short distances, their means of (3) _______ being their powerful hind legs, which carry them over the ground in jumps of 9 m or more at a time. Weighing around 70 kg, they have an average lifespan of around six to eight years and a maximum lifetime of 20 years. When bothered by predators, kangaroos often (4) ______ for the water, standing submerged to the chest, and attempting to drown the attacker by holding him underwater. Another defensive technique is to get their back to a tree and kick at their (5) _________ with their clawed hind feet, sometimes with sufficient force to kill a man. Normally shy animals, they alert other kangaroos to danger by beating on the ground with their hind feet. This loud alarm signal carries over a long distance.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 4.

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D

Explanation

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

It is because we are talking about the next course of action when kangaroos are put under attack.

'Heading for' something means "going towards a certain place that one wants to find'.