A contrasting pair — Aptitude Question
A contrasting pair: Fill in the blanks: The first half of the match was ___, but the second was surprisingly ___. Answer and worked solution on CodeKairo.
- Topic: Fill in the Blanks & Para Jumbles
- Section: Verbal Ability
- Difficulty: Medium
- Time target: 55 seconds
Question
Fill in the blanks:
The first half of the match was ______, but the second was surprisingly ______.
Options
- dull … tedious
- dull … lively
- exciting … thrilling
- slow … sluggish
Show the answer and the worked solution
Correct answer: B. dull … lively
Worked solution
- But surprisingly requires the halves to clash.
- dull … lively is the only pair that does.
- The other three pair two similar words together.
Answer: dull … lively.
The idea
Scan the pairs for one that changes direction. Three of the four options here are near-synonyms and can be dismissed at a glance.
Shortcut. 'But surprisingly' means the second half defied the first; only a dull first half makes a positive second word surprising, and 'lively' is the only positive word paired with 'dull'.
Common trap. "exciting … thrilling" — 'thrilling' fits 'surprisingly' on its own, but after an exciting first half a thrilling second gives 'but' nothing to contrast.
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