Question:easy

Choose the correct option out of the four choices given.
What you say has hardly any bearing _______ the lives of tribals.

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Swap "bearing" for "effect" or "influence". Whatever preposition those two take is the one this noun takes.
Updated On: Jul 17, 2026
  • about
  • for
  • on
  • with
Show Solution

The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The question tests a noun and preposition pairing. The noun "bearing" has several senses, so the first job is to pin down which sense the sentence uses, since each sense keeps different company.

Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
Replace the noun with a plain synonym and copy the preposition that synonym takes. If "bearing" here means effect or relevance, then whatever follows "effect" will follow "bearing".

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
Read the sentence: what you say has hardly any bearing on the lives of tribals. The writer is saying the speech makes almost no difference to those lives. So "bearing" means effect or relevance, not direction (a compass bearing) and not posture (a soldier's upright bearing).
Apply the synonym test. "Has hardly any effect on the lives of tribals" is standard English. So is "has hardly any influence on" and "has hardly any impact on". All three take "on".
Try the same test with the wrong options. "Has hardly any effect about the lives" is not English, since "about" wants a topic. "Has hardly any effect for the lives" is not English either, since "for" wants a purpose or a beneficiary. "Has hardly any effect with the lives" fails because "with" wants a companion.
Only "on" survives the test, which confirms the phrase "bearing on".

Step 4: Final Answer:
Nouns of effect and relevance take "on", so the answer is option (C), on.
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