Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number…

In the following passage some of the words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the correct answer for the given blank out of the four alternatives.

Many fruits and vegetables change (1)______ as they ripen. For example, tomatoes, strawberries, and red bell peppers all change from green to red. Colour is just one way along with size, texture, and smell that you can tell if a fruit or vegetable is (2) ______ to be harvested or eaten. Imagine a factory that (3) ______ strawberries into plastic containers to be (4) ______ to grocery stores across the country. It might be useful to have a machine that automatically (5) ______ any green strawberries that were picked before they were ripe. Or, you might want a machine on the farm that automatically recognizes strawberries by colour and only picks the red ones to begin with.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 2.

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D

Explanation

The correct answer is Option 4 i.e, ready.

Context: The sentence is: "Colour is just one way along with size, texture, and smell that you can tell if a fruit or vegetable is ___ to be harvested or eaten."

We are looking for a word that conveys fitness or suitability for harvesting or eating.

Meaning of the options:

Steady – stable or consistent; not suitable in this context.

Trepid – Not a valid English word (possibly a mistaken form of “trepidation” meaning fear).

Sober – not drunk; also means serious or calm; irrelevant here.

Ready – prepared or in a suitable condition for something — correct choice.

Correct word: Ready

Reason: We say fruits are ready to be harvested when they’re ripe. The word fits both grammatically and contextually.

Final sentence: "…you can tell if a fruit or vegetable is ready to be harvested or eaten."

Hence, the chosen option is correct.

SSC CHSL 2023 PYQ — Question 4