Choose the most appropriate option to complete the given sentence:
It is a paradox, ________ it is true. _______ man hankers after immortality, he acknowledges the inevitability of death.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → yet / Though
Contrast and concession:
- Yet joins two clauses whose ideas contrast, in the sense of "but still": the statement is a paradox, yet it is true.
- Though (= although) begins a clause of concession, a fact that would lead us to expect the opposite of the main clause: man longs to live for ever, and still he accepts that death is certain.
- Complete sentence: It is a paradox, yet it is true. Though man hankers after immortality, he acknowledges the inevitability of death.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: but / However — Incorrect. "But" fits the first blank, but "However" cannot begin this clause: as an adverb of contrast it links two separate sentences ("He was tired. However, he kept working."), and "However man hankers after immortality" would mean "in whatever way man hankers", which makes no sense here.
Option 3: and / Since — Incorrect.
- "And" adds a similar idea. It shows no contrast between "a paradox" and "true".
- "Since" gives a reason. Longing for immortality is not the reason for accepting death.
Option 4: because / As — Incorrect. "Because" and "As" both give a cause. Neither sentence states a cause, and both need a word of contrast.