Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Tower
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
English has many special collective nouns for groups of animals, such as a pride of lions or a school of fish. These terms are often tested in general knowledge and vocabulary sections because they are memorable and colourful. This question asks which collective noun is used for a group of giraffes, animals known for their long necks and impressive height.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The collective noun most commonly associated with giraffes in English is a tower of giraffes. The term paints a vivid picture of very tall animals standing together, resembling a tower. Other options are standard collective nouns but for different creatures or objects. General knowledge books and quizzes frequently include this particular pair to test whether students have memorised these animal-specific collectives.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall well known collective nouns: a pride of lions, a school of fish, a colony of ants or penguins, a fleet of ships.Step 2: Connect the image of a giraffe group with an image word that matches their tall bodies.Step 3: Recognise that tower is often mentioned in lists of unusual collective nouns as a tower of giraffes.Step 4: Eliminate colony, fleet, and pride because they are conventional labels for other animals and entities.Step 5: Select tower as the correct term for a group of giraffes.
Verification / Alternative check:
If you consult standard lists of collective nouns for animals used in English teaching materials, you will see entries such as a pride of lions, a murder of crows, a pod of dolphins, and a tower of giraffes. While some of these words are more poetic than strictly scientific, they are widely accepted in language tests and quizzes. The pairing between giraffes and tower is well-established and is chosen precisely because giraffes are iconic for their height.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Colony is mostly used for groups of insects like ants or bees, or for birds like penguins and sometimes for human settlements. Fleet is reserved for ships, boats, or sometimes vehicles, not animals like giraffes. Pride refers classically to a group of lions and is one of the most famous animal collectives, but it does not apply to giraffes. None of these terms carry the sense of height that tower does in connection with giraffes.
Common Pitfalls:
Because pride is such a familiar collective noun, some candidates may mistakenly apply it to other large animals like giraffes. Another pitfall is thinking only of very common collectives and not remembering the more imaginative ones. A helpful memory device is to visualise a cluster of giraffes standing together like tall pillars forming a tower, which should fix the phrase tower of giraffes in your mind.
Final Answer:
A group of giraffes is commonly called a Tower of giraffes, so option B is correct.
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