Which of the following collocations given in the option is correct?
The report highlights the ______ significance of education in society.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
The correct answer is option 4 i.e. critical.
Context: The sentence is talking about the importance of education in society. The blank must be filled with a word that naturally fits with “significance.”
Meaning of the words:
-
Major = big or important, but not a natural collocation with “significance.”
-
Vastly = an adverb, cannot be used before a noun like “significance.”
-
Serious = important, but “serious significance” is not a common or natural phrase.
-
Critical = extremely important, and it collocates correctly with “significance.”
Correct word: The correct word is critical.
Reason: The fixed collocation in English is “critical significance”, which is used to emphasize very high importance.
Final Sentence: “The report highlights the critical significance of education in society.”
Hence, the chosen option will be correct.