Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: revealed
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This cloze test question comes from a passage discussing truth as a moral principle and the ethics of telling or withholding information. The specific sentence says that sometimes we do not communicate the truth because, once something happens, it may hurt another person's feelings. Your task is to select the word that logically completes the phrase "once ______, it may hurt someone's feelings and sentiments" in a way that fits the surrounding discussion of telling the truth.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The concept being tested is vocabulary in context. The sentence is discussing what happens when truth is actually communicated. The phrase "once revealed" is a common collocation used to indicate that information has been disclosed. After the truth has been revealed, it may cause emotional pain. The other options do not fit this logical flow. "Principled" describes a person with strong moral rules, "disheveled" describes an untidy appearance, and "spectacled" refers to someone who wears glasses. None of these words describes what happens to truth in the context of being told or exposed.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Focus on the idea that the passage is about speaking truth and its emotional effects.Step 2: Read the partial sentence: "once ______, it may hurt someone's feelings and sentiments". The blank must describe something that has happened to the truth.Step 3: Consider "revealed". If truth is revealed, it becomes known, which can indeed hurt feelings.Step 4: Test "principled". A truth cannot logically be "principled"; the word applies to people, not to pieces of information.Step 5: Test "disheveled". This describes messy hair or clothing, which obviously does not make sense with truth as the subject.Step 6: Test "spectacled". This refers to wearing glasses, which again has no connection with truth or communication.Step 7: Conclude that "revealed" is the only option that creates a meaningful and grammatically correct sentence.
Verification / Alternative check:
You can check common usage by looking at phrases in essays or articles about honesty. Authors often write "once the truth is revealed" or "once this fact is revealed" to indicate the moment when hidden information becomes known. In contrast, you rarely, if ever, see truth described as "disheveled" or "spectacled". "Principled" is used about people, actions, or stands that are based on principles, not about facts themselves. When the full sentence is read with "revealed" added, it flows correctly: "once revealed, it may hurt someone's feelings and sentiments." This is fully consistent with the discussion of whether or not to speak the truth.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
"Principled" does not fit because truth cannot be principled in this grammatical structure, and it does not describe an action. "Disheveled" refers to an untidy physical appearance, which is unrelated to moral communication. "Spectacled" is used to describe a person wearing spectacles or glasses, and has no semantic link to the idea of revealing information. All three wrong options create nonsense or irrelevant sentences when inserted into the blank, which is a clear sign that they are not suitable choices.
Common Pitfalls:
Some students may get distracted by the length of the passage and pick an option quickly without checking the subject and object relationships in the sentence. Others may treat all unknown or unusual words as equally likely and guess at random. A better strategy is to identify the grammatical role of the missing word and then see which option can logically fill that role. Here, the blank must hold a past participle or verb indicating an action taken on the truth. Only "revealed" functions as such in a meaningful way. Careful reading and attention to collocations will help you succeed in similar questions.
Final Answer:
The correct word to complete the sentence is revealed.
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