Fill in the blank with the correct option.
The candidate assured the interviewers that the dip in her grades during her second semester was an ________ since she had always been a top scorer in the first semester.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → anomaly
An anomaly is something that is different from what is normal or expected. The candidate had always been a top scorer, so the dip in her grades in one semester was an exception to her usual record, not the pattern. The article "an" before the blank also needs a noun, and anomaly fits.
Example: One cold day in May is an anomaly, not a change in the climate.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: allay — Incorrect. Allay is a verb meaning to calm or reduce fear, doubt or worry. A verb cannot follow "was an".
Example: The doctor tried to allay the patient's fears.
Option 3: adage — Incorrect. An adage is an old, well-known saying that expresses a general truth. A dip in grades is not a saying.
Example: The old adage "haste makes waste" proved true once again.
Option 4: abatement — Incorrect. Abatement means a reduction or lessening of something, such as noise, pain or a tax. The dip is itself a fall, so calling it an abatement says nothing about why the interviewers should overlook it; the sentence needs a word for an exception to her record.
Example: The town wants an abatement of the traffic noise at night.
The following words have also been asked in other CUET (UG) English papers:
| Word | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| anomaly | 29-05 S2 | – | – | – | – |
| allay | – | – | – | 29-05 S2 09-06 S1 09-06 S2 | – |