Choose the correct word from the options and fill in the blank:
Due to the scorching heat, the plants in this area__________ quickly.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → wither
Wither means to become dry, shrunken and lifeless, as plants do in great heat or without water. The scorching heat makes the plants dry up quickly, so the blank needs this verb. (Weather, whether, wither and whither sound alike: weather is the state of the air, whether introduces a choice, wither is to dry up, whither means to which place.)
Example: The flowers withered in the afternoon sun.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: weather — Incorrect. Weather is mainly a noun meaning the condition of the atmosphere (rain, heat, wind); as a verb it means to come safely through a difficulty. Neither sense describes plants drying up in the heat.
Example: The weather is pleasant today.
Option 2: whether — Incorrect. Whether is a conjunction that introduces a choice between alternatives. It cannot be the verb of the sentence.
Example: I do not know whether he will come.
Option 4: whither — Incorrect. Whither is an old-fashioned adverb meaning to which place. It is not a verb.
Example: Whither are you going?