Question

Although it does contain some path breaking ideas, one would hardly characterize the work as .

From the words given below, choose the pair of words that, when filled in the blank (used interchangeably), would not alter the meaning of the sentence.

1. revolutionary
2. original
3. conventional
4. interesting
5. innovative

• A. I, II
• B. II, IV
• C. II, V
• D. III, IV

Hint:

Look for two words in the list that are close synonyms of each other, not just any plausible fit.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

This question checks whether we can spot two words from a list that mean nearly the same thing, so that using either one in the blank leaves the sentence saying the same thing. The sentence tells us the work has some path breaking ideas, but as a whole it would "hardly" be called a certain quality.

1. I, II (revolutionary, original): revolutionary suggests a complete, dramatic break from the past, while original simply means not copied or borrowed. These are related but not equal in strength, so swapping one for the other does shift the sentence's meaning slightly. Not the best pair.
2. II, IV (original, interesting): original is about being new and fresh, while interesting is about holding someone's attention. A work can be interesting without being original at all, so these two words are not close enough in meaning to be swapped freely.
3. II, V (original, innovative): original and innovative both describe a work that introduces new ideas or methods rather than repeating old ones. Saying the work is "hardly original" says almost the same thing as saying it is "hardly innovative." This pair keeps the sentence's meaning steady.
4. III, IV (conventional, interesting): conventional means ordinary or traditional, the near opposite of original, while interesting is about engagement value. These two ideas do not overlap, so this pair changes the sentence's sense depending on which word is chosen.

Only "original" and "innovative" are true synonyms in this context, so either word fits the blank while keeping the same overall claim about the work.

Let's summarize:

• The task needs a synonym pair, not just any two plausible words.
• "Original" and "innovative" both point to freshness and new ideas, making them interchangeable here.

The correct answer is option (c), II and V.