In the following passage about India’s commitment to world peace, a blank is indicated. Select the most appropriate word to fill the blank: “There are a _____ of pillars upon which India’s policy of living in peace with and promoting peace among nations rests.”

Introduction / Context:
This cloze test question comes from a passage that explains India foreign policy and its various guiding principles or pillars. The sentence describes that there are several pillars supporting this policy. The expression used in English for “several” or “many” in such a formal context is often “a number of”. The blank therefore must be filled with a word that fits into this fixed phrase and maintains grammatical correctness.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The sentence is: “There are a _____ of pillars upon which India’s policy of living in peace with and promoting peace among nations of the world rests.”
• The options are “numerous”, “number”, “many”, and “loop”.
• We assume the writer wants to use the well known phrase “a number of pillars”.
• The phrase should be grammatically correct and stylistically formal.

Concept / Approach:
In English, the idiomatic expression is “a number of” followed by a plural noun, meaning “several” or “many”. The structure “There are a number of pillars” is therefore fully correct. The word “number” completes this phrase. The option “numerous” is an adjective that can modify a noun directly, as in “numerous pillars”, but it does not fit after “a” in this exact structure. The option “many” would work if used directly with the noun (“There are many pillars”), but again it does not fit as “a many of pillars”. “Loop” is clearly irrelevant. Therefore, “number” is the only option that forms the correct phrase “a number of pillars”.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Rewrite the sentence fully with each option. “There are a number of pillars upon which India’s policy rests” sounds perfectly natural. “There are a numerous of pillars” is ungrammatical. “There are a many of pillars” is also wrong. “There are a loop of pillars” is meaningless. If we remove “a” and “of”, we could say “There are many pillars”, but the original structure clearly includes both words, so we must preserve that pattern. This confirms that “number” is the only correct choice.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Option A: “numerous” is an adjective that should directly modify a noun, as in “numerous pillars”, and cannot fit between “a” and “of”.
• Option C: “many” could work in “many pillars” but not in the phrase “a many of pillars”. The required pattern here is “a number of”.
• Option D: “loop” is unrelated to the context and does not form any meaningful phrase with “a” and “of” in this sentence.

Common Pitfalls:
Candidates sometimes ignore the surrounding words “a” and “of” and focus only on the noun “pillars”, leading them to choose “numerous” or “many” because they both convey multiplicity. However, cloze tests often check fixed expressions or collocations rather than isolated word meanings. It is crucial to read the entire structure of the sentence and notice patterns like “a number of”, “a lot of”, or “a series of”. Paying attention to these patterns allows for quick and confident selection of the correct option.

Final Answer:
The correct word to fill the blank is “number”, forming the phrase “a number of pillars”.