Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: revolutionised
Explanation:
Introduction:
Sentence improvement questions often focus on choosing the most suitable verb to convey a strong and accurate meaning. The given sentence, "Electricity has modernized the march of modern events," sounds repetitive and slightly awkward. The exam expects you to select a verb that better expresses the powerful impact electricity has had on human life and historical development.
Given Data / Assumptions:
- Original sentence: "Electricity has modernized the march of modern events."
- Underlined word: "modernized".
- Options: "revolutionised", "developed", "created", and "No improvement".
- We assume that the writer wants to emphasise the dramatic change brought by electricity.
Concept / Approach:
While "modernised" does suggest making something more modern, the phrase "modernized the march of modern events" is repetitive and weak. The impact of electricity on human civilisation is often described as revolutionary. The verb "revolutionised" expresses a complete, drastic, and far reaching transformation. Therefore, we should choose the verb that best reflects this scale of change and also removes the awkward repetition of "modern" in both the verb and the noun phrase.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Replace "modernized" with each option and read the sentence.Step 2: With option A: "Electricity has revolutionised the march of modern events." This sounds strong and natural, indicating a huge transformation in the course of events.Step 3: With option B: "Electricity has developed the march of modern events." This sounds odd, because "develop" usually takes objects like "industry", "skills", or "countries", not "march of events".Step 4: With option C: "Electricity has created the march of modern events." This suggests that electricity caused events to exist, which is not accurate; it changed them rather than created them from nothing.Step 5: With option D, "No improvement", the phrase remains weak and repetitive. Option A clearly provides the best improvement.
Verification / Alternative check:
Consider how historians and science writers describe the impact of electricity. They often speak of a "revolution in industry" or say that electricity "revolutionised communication and daily life". The word "revolutionised" naturally fits such contexts of major technological change. In contrast, "developed" and "created" do not capture the idea of a dramatic transformation in the same way.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B, "developed", usually refers to gradual growth or improvement, which is too weak and does not fit well with the phrase "march of modern events". Option C, "created", implies bringing something into existence out of nothing, which does not describe the role of electricity accurately; human society and events already existed but were changed by electricity. Option D, "No improvement", would keep an awkward and repetitive sentence that examiners clearly intend to improve. Option A, "revolutionised", is the most suitable because it suggests a powerful and sweeping transformation.
Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates choose "No improvement" whenever a sentence seems roughly understandable, but in competitive exams, the goal is not just basic correctness but the most effective and natural expression. Others may pick "developed" because it sounds sophisticated, without checking its collocation with "march of events". To avoid such errors, always test each option in the full sentence and choose the one that fits both meaning and style.
Final Answer:
The best improvement is revolutionised, so the improved sentence is "Electricity has revolutionised the march of modern events."
Discussion & Comments