"When she fell down the _______, she received many _______ but little help."
The words that best fill the blanks in the above sentence are
(A) stairs, stares (B) stairs, stairs
(C) stares, stairs (D) stares, stares
Options:
(A) stairs, stares
(B) stairs, stairs
(C) stares, stairs
(D) stares, stares
Official Answer Key:
A
Step-by-Step Solution & Explanation
### **Official Solution & Step-by-Step Derivation (GATE BT 2018 Q.01)**
**1. Governing Concept & Question Classification**:
- **Section**: General Aptitude (GA)
- **Question Type**: **MCQ** (1 Mark)
- **Topic**: English Grammar & Vocabulary (Homophones & Contextual Usage)
**2. Detailed Step-by-Step Analysis**:
- The sentence reads: *“When she fell down the _______, she received many _______ but little help.”*
- The first blank requires a noun referring to a flight of steps. The correct word is **stairs** (steps connecting different floors). "Stares" means fixed gazes and is contextually incorrect.
- The second blank refers to people looking at her fixedly/rudely without helping. The correct word is **stares** (plural noun of stare). "Stairs" makes no sense here.
- Therefore, the correct pair in sequential order is **stairs, stares**.
- **Option-by-Option Evaluation**:
- **Option (A) [CORRECT]**: *"stairs, stares"* correctly fits both structural position and semantic context.
- **Option (B) [INCORRECT]**: *"stairs, stairs"* incorrectly uses the physical flight of steps for people's reactions.
- **Option (C) [INCORRECT]**: *"stares, stairs"* reverses the logical and syntactic meaning.
- **Option (D) [INCORRECT]**: *"stares, stares"* uses fixed looks for the physical object she fell down.
**3. Final Answer / Verification Summary**:
- **Official GATE Answer Key**: **A**
- **Scoring Criteria**: +1.0 Mark (Negative marking: -0.33 marks).
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