Vocabulary in context: in the passage about the rising sun, choose the adjective that best completes the sentence "We just need to be ______." describing the inner attitude needed to experience sunrise within.

Difficulty: Medium

Correct Answer: receptive

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
The passage on the rising sun explains how sunrise can be experienced as a deep inner event if we cultivate the right attitude. After saying that something within ourselves is awakened with the first rays of the sun, the author writes, "We just need to be sensitive and available; we just need to be ______." The blank must describe the inner quality that allows us to receive the experience of the sunrise within.


Given Data / Assumptions:
The author has already used the adjectives sensitive and available, indicating openness rather than resistance.
The context talks about opening the inner door and the window of our inner world to let the new dawn enter.
The options are additive, abditive, imitative, receptive and reactive.
The general message of the passage is to allow something beautiful to enter rather than to fight against it.


Concept / Approach:
We are dealing with a subtle vocabulary question. The adjective must be closely aligned with sensitive and available and must fit the idea of opening inner doors. Receptive means ready to receive, open to impressions or ideas, which matches the context perfectly. Additive refers to something that can be added, abditive is obscure, imitative means copying others, and reactive suggests responding to stimuli, often in a less conscious way. None of these except receptive expresses the calm openness the author is recommending.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Notice the parallel structure: we need to be sensitive, available and something else of the same type. Step 2: Recognise that the passage repeatedly uses images of opening, such as opening inner doors and windows to let the dawn enter. Step 3: Test receptive in the blank: we just need to be receptive. This means we should be open to receiving the experience of sunrise, which fits with sensitive and available. Step 4: Test the other choices mentally and feel how unnatural they sound. We do not usually say we must be additive or abditive in a spiritual essay. Step 5: Confirm that receptive is the only natural and meaningful adjective in this context.


Verification / Alternative check:
If we read the lines with receptive, the flow is smooth: sensitive, available and receptive. The triad underscores different shades of openness to experience. Receptive also directly connects to the image of allowing the new dawn to enter within, because someone who is receptive welcomes new impressions. If we substitute imitative or reactive, the philosophical tone of the passage collapses, since imitation and reactive behaviour are not qualities being praised here.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Additive relates to adding numbers or ingredients, not to inner attitude. Abditive is an extremely rare word associated with hiding or removal, which conflicts with the idea of openness. Imitative suggests copying others rather than being personally open to the sunrise. Reactive means responding to external stimuli, but the author wants a more deliberate, calm readiness, not automatic reaction. The extra option reactive therefore is also not correct.


Common Pitfalls:
Students who are unsure of the less common words may guess randomly or may choose imitative simply because it looks familiar. This illustrates the importance of relying on context rather than on surface familiarity. In passages about meditation, spirituality and inner experience, words like receptive, open, aware and sensitive are common, and recognising this pattern helps in choosing correctly.


Final Answer:
The adjective that correctly completes the sentence is receptive, so option receptive is correct.

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