Question

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word.
Romans ________ a unique system of the Roman alphabet.
a) improved
b) developed
c) persuaded
d) exchanged

Answer 1

Hint: The sentence refers to something that the Romans invented. It refers to a completed action that was done solely by the Romans as it is said to be ‘unique’ in the given sentence.

Complete answer:
 We can identify the tense needed by looking at the given sentence. In the given sentence, the blank has no helping verbs around it. So, it has to be a simple tense. The sentence is a simple declarative sentence and it states a fact. This particular fact happened in the past, and it is a completed action. So, the tense required is simple past tense.

Now, let us look at the meaning of the sentence. It states that Romans have something to do with a unique system of the Roman alphabet. Since it is named that way, we can safely assume that they created this unique system.

Now, we know what we are looking for, let’s look at the given options:

a) improved - The word ‘improved’ refers to ‘having become or been made better’. This suggests that the existing system was made better. This is the wrong choice of word, as it does not fit into the meaning of the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
b) developed - The word ‘developed’ refers to ‘grow or cause to grow/create‘. This suggests that a new system was created. This fits into the given system perfectly. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.
c) persuaded - The word ‘persuaded’ refers to ‘cause (someone) to do something through reasoning or argument'. This word cannot be used to describe the given system, as it does not fit into the meaning of the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
d) exchanged - The word ‘exchanged’ refers to ‘give something and receive something of the same kind in return'. This is the wrong choice of word, as it does not fit into the meaning of the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note:
Understand the meaning of the given sentence. Choose the most appropriate option given the context of the sentence. Make sure all the parts of speech like the subject and the verb are aligning with each other and work with each other perfectly.