Fill in the blank (collocation describing excessive pride) “He knew everything better than anybody else, and it was an affront to his ______ vanity that you should disagree with him.” Choose the most appropriate word to complete the sentence.

Difficulty: Easy

overweening
injured
modest
diffident

Correct Answer: overweening

Explanation:

Given data

Sentence expresses that disagreeing with him offends his pride.

Concept/Approach
Overweening means excessively arrogant or conceited—an apt qualifier for “vanity.”

Option analysis
overweening — correct, standard collocation with “vanity.”injured — describes the state of vanity after an insult, not the type of vanity.modest / diffident — the opposite of vain; contradicts the idea of an affront.

Final Answer
overweening

← Previous Question Next Question→

More Questions from Selecting Words

Fill in the blank (polite offer to speak) “It's very kind of you to ______ to speak at the meeting.” Choose the best verb to complete the sentence.
Fill in the blank (sports context — cricket) “Pakistan lost a ______ wicket just when they seemed to be doing so well, and that led to their eventual defeat.” Choose the most appropriate adjective.
Fill in the blank (idiomatic reaction) “Sita's heart ______ at the sight of the beautiful diamond necklace.” Choose the verb that best completes the idiom.
Fill in the blank (collocation with “countryside”) “He lives near a lovely ______ of countryside.” Select the noun that best fits.
Fill in the blank (abstract noun after “one of those … which”) “Ambition is one of those ______ which are never satisfied.” Choose the most suitable plural noun.
Fill in the blank (describing temperament) “He is a person of sound character and ______ disposition.” Pick the adjective that completes the phrase naturally.
Fill in the blank (question tag with “will”) “If I take a state roadways bus, I'll get late, ______?” Choose the correct question tag.
Fill in the blank (verb with “importance … would ___ in later life”) “In high school many of us never realised the importance that grammar would ______ in later life.” Select the verb that best completes the sentence.
Fill in the blanks (adverb choice repeated for emphasis) “In a changing and ______ unstructured business environment, creativity and innovation are being ______ demanded of executives.” Fill both blanks with the most appropriate adverb (answer as “word1, word2”).
Vocabulary and context: choose the most accurate adjective describing cattle after a shortage of grass on arid plains Context: Due to a dearth of grass on dry, arid plains, the cattle’s condition deteriorates. Complete the sentence with the most precise descriptive word: "On account of the dearth of grass on the arid plains the cattle became ______." Choose the correct option.

Discussion & Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment!

Join Discussion