Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: episode
Explanation:
Introduction:
One word substitution questions test your ability to match a precise English word with a longer descriptive phrase. Here, the phrase describes an event, or a group of events, that occurs as part of a larger sequence. This type of vocabulary is important in literature, media, and everyday communication, where we often refer to sections of stories, programmes, or experiences using a single term rather than a long explanation.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
Episode is the term most often used to describe a single segment of a television show, a radio programme, a podcast, or even a life story, where it is part of a continuing sequence. A series is the entire set of such episodes, not just one event or group of events. Stanza relates to poetry, describing a grouped set of lines. Lesson is usually connected with teaching. Therefore, the correct word that fits the given phrase is episode.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Break the phrase into key ideas: an event or group of events and occurring as part of a sequence.
Step 2: Recognise that episode commonly refers to an individual part within a continuing story or sequence.
Step 3: Compare this with stanza, which refers to a division of a poem rather than a sequence of events.
Step 4: Note that series describes the entire collection, not just one segment.
Step 5: Observe that lesson usually means a period of learning or teaching, which does not directly match the definition.
Step 6: Conclude that episode is the only choice that fits the description exactly.
Verification / Alternative check:
Consider common uses: a television series has many episodes, a biography describes different episodes in a person’s life, and a novel may be divided into episodes that follow each other. All of these examples match the idea of events occurring as part of a sequence. Stanzas belong to poems, lessons belong to teaching, and a series contains multiple episodes, so they do not substitute the phrase properly.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Stanza is confined mainly to poetic structure, not events in a sequence. Series refers to the whole group of related items or events rather than one segment. Lesson emphasises instruction and the act of being taught, not simply being a part in a sequence of happenings. None of these conveys the combined ideas of events plus their position within a larger sequence as neatly as episode does.
Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes confuse episode and series because both are used in the context of television and stories. Remember that a series is made up of many episodes. A helpful memory trick is that episode and event both start with the letter e, linking the word with a specific occurrence rather than the entire collection. Practising with similar one word substitution questions improves both vocabulary and reading comprehension.
Final Answer:
episode is the correct one word substitute for the given phrase.
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