Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: varied
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This question is a vocabulary based cloze test from a short passage about the ups and downs of life. The passage contrasts happiness and unhappiness, pleasant experiences and painful ones, and being on top of the world versus feeling depressed. The first blank needs an adjective that captures the idea that life contains many different kinds of experiences. The options offered are varied, systematic, allied, and amplified.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The central idea of the passage is variety and contrast in human experiences. The writer emphasises that life can be joyful at one moment and sad at another, and that circumstances change. Therefore, the word in the blank must convey diversity in types of experiences. The adjective varied means of many different kinds, which fits this theme perfectly. The other options do not express this sense of diversity and do not match the tone or meaning of the passage.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Read the full passage to understand its message: life brings happiness and unhappiness, pleasant and painful experiences, and emotional highs and lows.Step 2: Focus on the blank in the sentence Life is full of ______ types of experiences. The sentence suggests that life does not contain only one type of experience but many.Step 3: Consider the option varied. It means different in kind, diverse, or showing variety. This meaning fits exactly with the idea that life includes many different experiences.Step 4: Consider systematic. This describes something arranged according to a system or method, which does not relate to the variety of experiences but to organisation or procedure.Step 5: Consider allied. This means related or connected, usually used for people or things that are on the same side or share a common cause. It does not express the idea that experiences are of many different kinds.Step 6: Consider amplified. This means enlarged, increased, or made louder. It can describe sound or intensity, but it does not fit logically with types of experiences in this context.
Verification / Alternative check:
To verify the choice, substitute varied into the sentence and read it with the rest of the passage: Life is full of varied types of experiences. Strange, in fact, are the ways of God. If a man is happy today, he may be equally unhappy the very next day. Some experiences are pleasant and joyful while others are full of sorrow and pain. If at one time a person finds himself on top of the world, at the very next time he is depressed and downcast. The word varied clearly harmonises with the strong contrasts described, reinforcing the theme that life offers many different experiences, both positive and negative. None of the other options reinforce this theme as effectively.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option 2 (systematic): This would imply that experiences follow an organised system or pattern, which is not the point being made. The passage emphasises unpredictability and change, not methodical structure.Option 3 (allied): This suggests that the types of experiences are closely related or united, which contradicts the passage that stresses contrasts such as joy versus sorrow.Option 4 (amplified): This focuses on intensity or enlargement, typically of sound or effect, and does not describe the range or variety of experiences.
Common Pitfalls:
Some learners may be tempted by systematic because they associate life with systems and routines, but the rest of the passage does not support that interpretation. Others might choose amplified simply because it sounds impressive, without checking whether it truly fits the collocation types of experiences. Always check that the chosen word matches the key idea and mood of the entire passage, not just the blank by itself.
Final Answer:
The adjective that correctly expresses that life contains many different kinds of experiences is varied.
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