Question

In the earliest moments of the Universe conditions of almost inconceivable _____ raged through the swelling cosmos, yet this great _____ managed to produce only the simplest of atoms. Choose the correct words to fill in the blanks.
A. tumult-cataclysm
B. tranquillity-upheaval
C. violence-complexity
D. turbulence-conglomeration
E. chaos-inertia

Answer 1

Hint:In linguistics, there are many words which closely resemble each other in their meanings. But they are not exactly the same. These words are synonyms which are thousands in number. One can be baffled by the degree of similarity in these, but they are meant to be used in different contexts. We just have to keep in mind their usage.
This will clear all the confusions we have about these synonyms. Similarly, in this question, we can see that some of the words that have been given to us are similar in meanings whereas some are not. We have to understand the meaning and the usage of each word so that we can pick the correct answer from them.

Complete answer:
1. Here we are going to check each option one by one so that we can detect the correct option containing the correct answer.
2. The word ‘tumult’ refers to a state of confusion or disorder. It might be similar with the words like ‘turbulence’ and ‘chaos’. But, the combination of two appropriate words are to be properly placed in the context of the sentence. Subsequently, the word ‘cataclysm’ is used when a large-scale and violent event in the natural world is being narrated or described. If this pair is used in this sentence, the sentence will be grammatically correct as well as its meaning will be preserved and clearly understood. Hence, this option is correct.
3. The other options cannot be used in this sentence because any of them are not fitting well with the context. Firstly, the word ‘tranquillity’ can’t be set with ‘rage’. The word ‘violence’ is an adjective, which can’t be used with ‘verb’.

Hence the correct answer is option ‘A’.

Note: When the pair of words ‘tumult’ and ‘cataclysm’ is used in the sentence given in the question, the meaning is preserved as well as is clearly understood. It might be the case where the words could be set as substitutes. But, the appropriateness of words is to be finally settled along the structure and syntax of the sentence.