Question:medium

Fill in the blanks with the pair of words that best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.
In human as in animal societies the elder _____ transmit by example to the younger the _____ experience accumulated by the group.

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The first blank needs a plural group of older members, and the second blank needs a word meaning shared by the whole group.
Updated On: Jul 21, 2026
  • Progeny ... lurid
  • Generations ... collective
  • Denizens ... repeated
  • Luminary ... personal
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The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

The sentence describes older members of a society passing on group experience to younger members by example. We need a word for the "elder" group that fits the plural verb "transmit", and a second word describing the kind of experience that has been "accumulated by the group".

  1. Progeny ... lurid: "Progeny" means children or offspring, which is the opposite of "elder", since the sentence needs the older members, not the younger ones. "Lurid" means shockingly vivid, which has no connection to shared experience, so this pair fails on both counts.
  2. Generations ... collective: "Generations" naturally names groups of elder members within a society, and it agrees with the plural verb "transmit". "Collective" means belonging to or shared by every member of a group, which matches "accumulated by the group" exactly.
  3. Denizens ... repeated: "Denizens" simply means residents or inhabitants, with no sense of "elder" built in, and "repeated" describes something done again and again, not something built up as shared experience over time.
  4. Luminary ... personal: "Luminary" refers to one outstanding or inspiring individual, which does not fit the plural "elder" group or the plural verb "transmit". "Personal" means belonging to one individual, which directly contradicts "accumulated by the group".

Testing each pair against both blanks at once shows that only "Generations ... collective" satisfies the grammar of the sentence and its meaning about experience shared across a whole group.

Let's summarize:

  • The first blank needs a plural word for older members of a society.
  • The second blank needs a word meaning shared by the whole group.
  • Only "Generations" and "collective" satisfy both blanks together.

So the correct completion is "Generations ... collective", option (b).

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