Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word to complete the sentence: "He is _______ connected."

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: respectably

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This question checks your understanding of word forms and typical English collocations. The phrase He is _______ connected appears frequently in descriptions of people's social or professional networks. You need to choose the adverb or adjective that correctly and naturally completes the expression in standard English. Knowing common collocations such as well connected or respectably connected helps you interpret the intended meaning and select the right form of the word respect.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • The sentence is He is _______ connected.
  • The missing word must work with the past participle connected.
  • The options are respectively, respective, respectably, and respectable.
  • The intended meaning is that he has good, honourable social or professional connections.


Concept / Approach:
Connected in this context is used as a complement describing someone who has certain kinds of relationships or contacts. It is normally modified by an adverb that describes the manner or degree of being connected, such as well connected or respectably connected. Respectably is the adverb form of respectable and fits naturally before connected to express that his connections are of a decent, honourable kind. Respective and respectable are adjectives, which are not appropriate directly before connected in this structure. Respectively is an adverb used when matching two or more lists item by item, and does not fit this sentence at all.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recognise that connected here functions like an adjective describing his situation or status. Step 2: Determine that we need an adverb to modify this description, answering the question how is he connected? Step 3: Identify respectably as the adverb form that answers this question, meaning in a respectable or decent way. Step 4: Check that He is respectably connected makes good sense: it means he has connections with respectable people or institutions. Step 5: Eliminate the other options because they do not grammatically or idiomatically fit before connected in this context.


Verification / Alternative check:
Substitute each option into the sentence and compare the results. He is respectively connected is meaningless here, because respectively is only used to match multiple items in corresponding order, as in A and B are 10 and 20 respectively. He is respective connected is ungrammatical because respective is an adjective that does not work in this position. He is respectable connected is incorrect because respectable must describe a noun, for example a respectable family, not a past participle used predicatively. In contrast, He is respectably connected is grammatical and idiomatic, clearly suggesting that his social or professional contacts are honourable and decent.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
respectively: This is wrong because it is used to relate two lists item by item, and does not describe how someone is connected.
respective: This is wrong because it is an adjective used in phrases like their respective roles, and cannot directly modify connected in the given structure.
respectable: This is wrong here because it should modify a noun, such as a respectable man, not the participle connected in the pattern He is respectable connected.


Common Pitfalls:
A frequent mistake is to choose respectable simply because it looks familiar and positive. However, competitive exams often test the difference between adjective and adverb forms, and only the adverb respectably correctly answers the question how is he connected? Another pitfall is ignoring the meaning of respectively and picking it because it sounds formal. Remember that respectively is restricted to special list matching contexts and cannot be used simply to make a sentence sound more sophisticated.


Final Answer:
The correct completion is He is respectably connected.

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