Question 1

The soldier displayed remarkable ______ in the face of extreme adversity, never losing hope even when the mission seemed impossible.

Accepted Answer

The context requires a noun meaning mental strength or courage under pressure. 'Fortitude' means courage and endurance in the face of pain or adversity, which perfectly fits the military context. 'Gratitude' means thankfulness; 'lassitude' means physical or mental weariness (the opposite of what is needed); 'platitude' means a dull, overused remark. Only 'fortitude' captures the idea of unwavering courage.

Question 2

Identify the sentence with correct improvement:

Original: 'Despite of his talent, he could not succeed in the competition.'

Which of the following is the correct version?

Accepted Answer

The preposition 'despite' is a standalone preposition that does not require 'of' after it. The phrase 'despite of' is non-standard; the correct form is simply 'despite' followed by a noun or noun phrase. The corrected sentence should read: 'Despite his talent, he could not succeed in the competition.' Alternatively, 'In spite of his talent...' is also correct, but 'despite of' is always incorrect.

Question 3

Identify the sentence with correct improvement:

Original: 'The number of applicants have increased significantly over the last five years.'

Which of the following is the correct version?

Accepted Answer

The subject 'the number of applicants' is singular because 'number' is the head noun, not 'applicants'. When 'number' is preceded by 'the', it is treated as a singular unit and requires a singular verb 'has'. The corrected sentence should read: 'The number of applicants has increased significantly over the last five years.' (Compare with: 'A number of applicants have increased...' where 'number' is indefinite and the focus is on the plural applicants.)

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