Choose the correct option to fill up the blank in the given sentence:
Normally, a thunderstorm lasts about 45 minutes but under certain conditions, the storm may________, becoming ever more severe for as long as four hours.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → persist
Persist means to continue to exist or happen for longer than usual. A thunderstorm normally lasts about 45 minutes, but this one goes on "becoming ever more severe for as long as four hours", so it persists.
Example: If the fever persists, please see a doctor.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: vacillate — Incorrect. Vacillate means to keep changing one's mind, to waver between two choices; it is used for people's decisions, not for storms.
Example: He vacillated between science and commerce for weeks.
Option 3: wane — Incorrect. Wane means to become gradually weaker or smaller, the opposite of a storm that grows more severe.
Example: His interest in the game waned after the first hour.
Option 4: disperse — Incorrect. Disperse means to scatter or break up; a storm that disperses is ending, not lasting four hours.
Example: The police asked the crowd to disperse.
The following words have also been asked in other CUET (UG) English papers:
| Word | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vacillate | 29-05 S2 | – | – | – | – |
| wane | 13-05 S1 25-05 S2 26-05 S1 | – | – | 22-05 S2 25-05 S1 10-06 S3 | – |
| disperse | – | – | – | 18-06 S2 | – |