Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: answers
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This item is another blank from the passage that praises books. The sentence states that books help us find something to our questions. The missing word should complete a very familiar collocation in English: find something to our questions. The options all describe types of information or ideas, but only one fits the fixed phrase naturally and matches the simple, general tone of the passage.
Given Data / Assumptions:
- The sentence is: The books help us find _____ to our questions.
- Options are answers, solutions, relations and opinions.
- The passage is aimed at general readers and uses simple language.
- Questions can be factual, conceptual or personal.
Concept / Approach:
In English, the most common collocation is find answers to questions. While solutions to problems is also common, we usually talk about solutions to problems rather than solutions to questions. Relations to our questions and opinions to our questions are not standard expressions. Therefore, we look for the word that is most frequently used with questions in everyday and academic language, which is answers.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Insert answers into the sentence: The books help us find answers to our questions. This is a familiar and natural phrase.
Step 2: Test solutions. The books help us find solutions to our questions is less idiomatic, because we normally say solutions to problems.
Step 3: Test relations. The books help us find relations to our questions does not make sense, because relations refer to connections between things, not direct responses to questions.
Step 4: Test opinions. The books help us find opinions to our questions is again incorrect, as opinions are usually held about issues rather than given to questions in this wording.
Step 5: Confirm that answers is both grammatically and collocationally correct and matches the intended sense.
Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, recall common classroom and exam language: teachers say find the answer to this question, not find the solution to this question, unless they are speaking about a specific mathematical problem. The passage is general and refers to any kind of questions we may have about life or knowledge. In that broad sense, answers is the appropriate term. Books indeed help us find answers to our questions about the world, history, science and many other topics.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B: Solutions is more often used with problems, puzzles or equations. Using it with questions in this generic context sounds less natural.
Option C: Relations does not describe direct responses or information that satisfies a question, so it does not fit the sentence.
Option D: Opinions refers to personal views, and while books may present opinions, the phrase opinions to our questions is not idiomatic.
Common Pitfalls:
Sometimes candidates are attracted to solutions because it sounds more technical or formal. However, cloze passages often prefer the most common everyday collocation instead of a rare one. Another pitfall is to ignore the preposition to and focus only on whether the word is positive or negative. Always think about how words typically combine with their neighbours in natural English.
Final Answer:
The word that best completes the phrase is answers, so option A is correct.
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