Choose the sentences in which the foreign phrase is used correctly:
(A) After three days of rough sea, the sailors were glad to be back on terra firma.
(B) Ravi’s answer was a non sequitur, as he gave every step of the sum in the right order.
(C) The senior lawyer fought the poor farmers’ case pro bono.
(D) The committee accepted only two points of the report in toto.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → (A) and (C) only
(A) After three days of rough sea, the sailors were glad to be back on terra firma. — Correct. “Terra firma” means dry, solid land, as against the sea or the air.
(B) Ravi’s answer was a non sequitur, as he gave every step of the sum in the right order. — Incorrect. “Non sequitur” means a remark that does not follow from what was said before. Steps given in the right order do follow.
Correct form: When asked about his marks, Ravi said he liked mangoes. It was a non sequitur.
(C) The senior lawyer fought the poor farmers’ case pro bono. — Correct. “Pro bono” means done without charge, for the public good.
(D) The committee accepted only two points of the report in toto. — Incorrect. “In toto” means completely, as a whole. Two points out of many is not the whole.
Correct form: The committee accepted the report in toto, without changing a word.