Question

Select the suitable option to complete the sentence.
There was a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ of eggs floating on the dirty water of the ditch.
A) Clump
B) Shoal
C) Clutch
D) Pile

Answer 1

Hint: In the above question we have to fill in the blank from the given options such that the sentence is grammatically correct and makes sense. In the options we are given collective nouns that can be used with the noun ‘eggs’.

Complete answer:
Before choosing an option let us first understand the meaning of the given options-
A) Clump - It refers to a cluster usually related to the thicket of trees or closely growing plants. It can refer to a sound which is usually produced from heavy thumping.
B) Shoal - It also refers to a group, specifically of fish, tourists etc. It can also refer to a shallow area near a water body.
C) Clutch - As a collective noun it refers to a handful because clutch usually relates to claw, grasp, tight grip etc. It refers to a group/nest of eggs or chicks.
D) Pile - It refers to a group of things that are kept on top of each other. It can also refer to an act of keeping things on top of each other.

The correct answer is ‘Clutch’. Since as a noun clutch is often used with eggs therefore it will be used to fill up the blank. Therefore, the complete sentence will be - There was a clutch of eggs floating on the dirty water of the ditch.

Therefore the correct answer is option ‘D’.

Note: Collective nouns are generally given in singular form and the noun that follows them or the noun that they denote is usually written in plural form for e.g. clutch (singular) of eggs (plural) or class (singular) of students (plural).