In this sentence improvement question, which word best replaces the underlined word so that the sentence reads naturally: \"When the architect won a prize in a playwriting competition his friends admired his universality\"?

Introduction / Context:
Sentence improvement questions test your understanding of vocabulary, collocations and natural usage in English. In this item, you are told that an architect has won a prize in a playwriting competition. His friends then admire a particular quality described by the underlined word universality. The task is to decide whether that word is appropriate or whether another option expresses the intended meaning more accurately. This type of question appears frequently in competitive exams and language tests.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The original sentence is: When the architect won a prize in a playwriting competition his friends admired his universality.
• The underlined word universality is suspected to be awkward or incorrect in this context.
• The answer options are durability, versatility, respectability and No improvement.
• The context shows that the architect has shown talent in more than one field: architecture and playwriting.

Concept / Approach:
The key idea is that the architect is being praised for being good at more than one type of work. An architect who can also write award winning plays is displaying the ability to do many different things well. The correct English word for this quality is versatility. Universality usually refers to something that applies to everyone or everywhere, not to a person having many talents. Durability means long lasting, and respectability means being worthy of respect. Neither of these captures the idea of multi talented ability. Therefore, versatility is the most natural and accurate replacement for universality in this precise sentence.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the key information: an architect has succeeded in a playwriting competition, which is a different field from his main profession.Step 2: Understand the implied meaning: his friends admire the fact that he is talented in more than one area.Step 3: Evaluate universality: it normally refers to something universal or common to all, which does not fit the idea of multi skilled talent here.Step 4: Consider durability: this means long lasting or hard wearing, which is not about having many abilities.Step 5: Consider respectability: this means being respectable or socially acceptable, again not emphasising multiple talents.Step 6: Consider versatility: this word means capable of doing many different things or able to adapt to many functions.Step 7: Conclude that versatility exactly matches the idea that the architect can succeed in both architecture and playwriting, and therefore choose versatility.

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify your choice, you can try re reading the improved sentence: When the architect won a prize in a playwriting competition his friends admired his versatility. This sounds natural and clearly suggests that he has talent in more than one area. By contrast, replacing the underlined word with durability or respectability produces sentences that feel odd and do not communicate the intended idea. Leaving universality unchanged also sounds unnatural for describing a person multi talented nature. This comparison confirms that versatility is the best fit.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Durability generally describes objects that last a long time, such as durable shoes or durable furniture, and is rarely used to describe a person skill set. Respectability refers to being respectable or morally proper, and does not convey any sense of being multi skilled. The option No improvement suggests that universality is already correct, but in standard usage universality does not describe a person ability to succeed in different professions. Therefore, options A, C and D do not capture the intended meaning of the sentence.

Common Pitfalls:
Some learners may be misled by the fact that universal sounds impressive and may assume universality is positive and therefore correct without examining its meaning carefully. Others may choose respectability because it appears more common. The best strategy in sentence improvement questions is to focus on the actual idea you want to express, then choose the word whose meaning matches that idea exactly. Here the core idea is multi talented ability, which points clearly to versatility. Practising such reasoning will improve your performance on vocabulary and usage questions.

Final Answer:
The correct improvement is to replace universality with versatility.