Multiple choice

Directions: In the following passage, some of the words have been left out. First read the passage over and try to understand what it is about. Then, fill blank (iii) with the help of the alternatives given.

Cigars had burned low and we were (i) ______ to sample the disillusionment that usually afflicts old school friends who have met again as men and found themselves with less in common than they had (ii) ______ they had. Rutherford wrote novels; Wyland was one of the embassy secretaries; he had just given us dinner at Tempelhof - not very cheerfully, I fancied, but with the equanimity which a diplomat must always keep on tap for such (iii) ___. It seemed likely that nothing but the fact of being three celibate Englishmen in a foreign capital could have brought us together, and I had already reached the conclusion that the slight touch of priggishness which I remembered in Wyland Tertius had not (iv) ___ with years and an M.V.O. Rutherford I liked more; he had ripened well out of the skinny, precocious infant whom I had once alternately bullied and patronised. The (v) ______ that he was making much more money and having a more interesting life than either of us gave Wyland and me our one mutual emotion - a touch of envy.

  1. occurrences

  2. opportunities

  3. possibilities

  4. occasions

  5. incidents

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation
  1. occurrences – The definition of an occurrence is the frequency with which something happens.
    1. opportunities - Opportunities mean good chances to advance yourself or favorable circumstances for the time.  3. possibilities - The quality or condition of being possible is a possibility. 4. incidents - The definition of an incident is something that happens, possibly as a result of something else. 5. occasions – This is the correct answer. Occasion is a special event or a specific time when something is possible or when something will happen. In this context, the author is referring to occasions when a diplomat has to meet with a diverse variety of people in his career.