Question

The greatest _________ of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by ________ his attitude.

• A. gift ... gifting
• B. discovery ... altering
• C. misgiving ... elevating
• D. thing ... flaunting

Hint:

This is a famous paraphrase about changing your life by changing your attitude.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

This fill in the blanks question tests both vocabulary and logical consistency within a sentence. The sentence describes a powerful idea, that a person's entire life can shift simply through a change in mindset, and both blanks must support that idea using words with matching tone and meaning.

Reading the sentence carefully, the second half already contains the word "alter," so the second blank should naturally echo that same idea of change, which points toward "altering." Working backward, the first blank needs a positive, significant noun describing an important realization, and "discovery" captures exactly that sense of finding out something valuable and true.

Checking the other pairs against this logic rules them out quickly. "Gift ... gifting" introduces the unrelated idea of giving something away, which has nothing to do with a realization about life. "Misgiving ... elevating" mixes doubt with an unrelated positive verb, creating an inconsistent, contradictory sentence. "Thing ... flaunting" is vague and flaunting means showing off proudly, which does not describe the quiet act of changing one's attitude.

Because "discovery" and "altering" together create a sentence that is logical, consistent, and famously associated with William James's ideas on attitude, the correct answer is option 2, discovery and altering.