In the following sentence improvement question, choose the best alternative to replace the bracketed part: (Take off) your shoes before you enter the temple.

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: No improvement

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
Sentence improvement questions ask you to decide whether a highlighted or bracketed expression is correct, or whether it should be replaced by a better alternative. Here, the focus is on the phrasal verb used to describe removing footwear before entering a temple. This is a common cultural practice in many regions, and standard English has a set of phrasal verbs to express the idea of removing clothing or shoes.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Original sentence: Take off your shoes before you enter the temple.
  • Bracketed phrase: Take off.
  • Options: Put away, Extract, Put off, No improvement.
  • We assume that the intended meaning is to remove footwear from the feet.


Concept / Approach:
The phrasal verb take off is standard English for removing clothes, shoes, or accessories from the body. Other options such as put away, extract, or put off have different meanings. Put away usually means to store something in its proper place. Extract means to pull something out from within something else. Put off generally means to postpone or to discourage. Therefore, if the original phrase already expresses the intended meaning correctly and idiomatically, the best choice is No improvement.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Interpret the sentence: a person is asked to remove shoes before entering a holy place. Step 2: Recall that take off is the normal phrasal verb used when talking about removing shoes or clothing. Step 3: Evaluate option A, Put away, which suggests putting shoes back into a cupboard or shelf, not simply removing them from the feet at the entrance. Step 4: Evaluate option B, Extract, which refers to pulling out something from inside another object and is not used for removing shoes from feet. Step 5: Evaluate option C, Put off, which primarily means to postpone an event or cause someone to lose interest and does not suit the physical action of removing footwear. Step 6: Recognise that the original phrase Take off perfectly expresses the intended meaning. Step 7: Conclude that no change is needed and No improvement is the correct answer.


Verification / Alternative check:
We can check by reading the sentence as it stands: Take off your shoes before you enter the temple. This is grammatically correct, idiomatic, and widely used in everyday English instructions and notices, especially at places of worship. Replacing take off with any of the other phrasal verbs makes the sentence sound strange or changes the meaning. The original, therefore, should be retained.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Put away changes the focus from removal to storage and implies that shoes must be placed in a cupboard or rack, which is not specified. Extract is semantically inappropriate because shoes are not usually extracted from a container in this context. Put off is wrong because it does not relate to removal of clothes or shoes; it usually refers to postponing or discouraging. Hence, none of these alternatives fits the intended meaning of politely instructing someone to remove shoes before entering a temple.


Common Pitfalls:
Some test takers assume that because a phrase is marked, it must be wrong, and therefore avoid choosing No improvement. This is a psychological trap. In sentence improvement questions, the bracketed part can often be correct. Learners should always check the original for correctness and idiomatic use before assuming an alternative is better. Knowing common phrasal verbs for everyday actions like putting on, taking off, and trying on clothing helps in making confident choices.


Final Answer:
The original phrase is correct, so the answer is No improvement.

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