In the following sentence improvement question, choose the alternative that best replaces the bracketed word. Bonding with friends and extended family can be (uplifted).

Introduction / Context:
This sentence improvement question focuses on choosing the correct form of a word to fit the structure of the sentence. The sentence is: “Bonding with friends and extended family can be (uplifted).” You must select the form that makes the sentence grammatically correct and natural. Such questions test your understanding of verb patterns, adjectives, and -ing forms in English grammar, which are frequently asked in competitive exams.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Sentence: “Bonding with friends and extended family can be (uplifted).”
• The modal verb “can” is followed by “be”, suggesting that an adjective or past participle might follow.
• The subject “Bonding with friends and extended family” refers to an activity or experience, not a person.
• We want to describe the nature or effect of this bonding.

Concept / Approach:
The structure “can be” is often followed by an adjective that describes how something feels or what quality it has, for example: “can be exciting”, “can be relaxing”, “can be rewarding”. Here, we are talking about the emotional effect of bonding, so we need an adjective that describes this experience. The word “uplifting” is an adjective meaning “morally or emotionally inspiring, making you feel happier or more positive”. The original word “uplifted” is a past participle typically used after a verb like “feel” (“I felt uplifted”) rather than directly after “can be” to describe the general nature of something.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify “can be” as a verb phrase that often takes an adjective complement. Step 2: Recognize that we are describing the effect of bonding, so an adjective like “uplifting” is suitable. Step 3: Evaluate “uplift”: it is a verb in base form, which does not fit well after “can be” here. Step 4: Evaluate “uplifts”: this is a simple present tense verb form, not appropriate after “can be”. Step 5: Evaluate “uplifted”: this past participle usually describes a person who has already been uplifted, not the general nature of bonding. Step 6: Conclude that “uplifting” is the correct adjective to complete the sentence: “Bonding with friends and extended family can be uplifting.”

Verification / Alternative check:
Read the full sentence with each option: “can be uplift” is clearly wrong; “can be uplifts” is also incorrect; “can be uplifted” sounds awkward because we usually say “we feel uplifted by bonding”; “no improvement” would keep the incorrect original participle. “Bonding with friends and extended family can be uplifting” sounds natural and grammatically correct, and it is the standard expression native speakers would use.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
“Uplift” is a verb and cannot function as the complement after “can be” in this sentence.
“Uplifts” is a finite verb form and does not fit the pattern after “can be”.
“Uplifted” is a past participle that describes someone who has already been raised in spirit, but it is not used here to describe the general nature of bonding.
“No improvement” would keep the incorrect structure, so it cannot be chosen.

Common Pitfalls:
Students often confuse -ing adjectives with past participles and base verbs. Remember that -ing forms are frequently used as adjectives to describe how something is (“an exciting movie”, “a tiring journey”), while past participles more often describe how someone feels after an action (“I am excited”, “I am tired”). Whenever you see “can be” followed by a word describing a general experience, think of adjectives like “interesting”, “uplifting”, or “rewarding”.

Final Answer:
The correct improvement is “uplifting”, so the sentence should read: “Bonding with friends and extended family can be uplifting.”