SECTION C: VERBAL AND LOGICAL ABILITY

Directions (83-87): Choose the appropriate words to fill in the blanks.

83. Mark Twain was responsible for many striking, mostly cynical ________, such as “Always do right. That will gratify some of the people, and astonish the rest. ________ can sometimes end up as ________, but rarely would someone use them as an _______.

(A) epitaphs, Epitaphs, epigrams, epigraph

(B) epigraphs, Epigraphs, epitaphs, epigraph

(C) epigrams, Epitaphs, epigrams, epigraph

(D) epigrams, Epigrams, epigraphs, epitaph

(E) epitaphs, Epitaphs, epigraphs, epigram

Solution:

‘Epigraph’ is an inscription on a statue or coin while ‘Epigram’ is a short witty poem. As per the context ‘Epigram’ fits the blank. The second blank will also take ‘Epigram’. ‘Epitaph’ refers to words written in memory of a person who has died. So people rarely use epigrams as an epitaph, although sometimes they can end up as epigraphs. Choice (D)