Word omitted exercise: ii. This depends the physical / iii. conditions under the material forms. / iv. This results a wide range of colours...
ii. depends on the / iii. conditions under which / iv. results in a / v. lustre and density.
Marking Scheme
- 11 mark for each correctly identified omission with the word before and after (4 omissions x 1 mark = 4 marks).
Hint
Read each line aloud. Check for missing prepositions after verbs like 'depends' and 'results', and look for a missing connector between paired nouns.
Quick Oral Answer
The missing words are 'on' after depends, 'which' after under, 'in' after results, and 'and' between lustre and density. These are prepositions and a conjunction needed for grammatical completeness.
Analysis & Explanation
This omission exercise tests a student's ability to identify missing grammatical words in a passage about minerals. The four omissions follow predictable patterns: 'depends on' is a fixed phrasal verb where the preposition 'on' is essential, 'under which' requires the relative pronoun 'which' to connect the clause properly to its antecedent, 'results in' is another fixed phrasal verb meaning 'leads to', and 'lustre and density' needs the conjunction 'and' to connect two parallel nouns. Students should approach omission questions systematically: first read the entire passage to understand the context, then read each line independently to spot where the grammatical flow breaks. The most common omissions in CBSE papers are prepositions and articles, so always check if a verb needs its companion preposition. A useful exam strategy is to mentally insert common small words (a, an, the, in, on, at, which, and, but) at each possible gap and see which one restores grammatical correctness. Time management is critical here since this question carries 4 marks for 4 separate identifications, meaning each correct answer is worth 1 mark. Be precise with the format: write the word before, the missing word, and the word after, exactly as the question instructs. Many students lose marks not because they cannot find the missing word but because they present the answer in the wrong format.
Common Mistakes
- 1Not writing the word before and after the omission as required by the CBSE format, which leads to losing marks even when the missing word is correctly identified.
- 2Confusing fixed phrasal verbs such as writing 'depends upon' instead of 'depends on', or 'results to' instead of 'results in', because students do not memorize standard prepositional collocations.
- 3Inserting an article (like 'the') when the actual missing word is a preposition or conjunction, because students default to articles as the most common omission without carefully reading the sentence structure.
Interesting Facts
The English language has about 150 prepositions, but just 10 of them (of, in, to, for, with, on, at, from, by, about) account for over 90% of all preposition usage in written English.
The word 'mineral' comes from the Medieval Latin 'minerale', meaning something obtained by mining. India is the world's third-largest producer of minerals, with over 1,531 mines operating across the country as of 2023.
Omission exercises were introduced in CBSE English board exams in 2004 as part of the grammar reform to test students' understanding of sentence structure rather than rote memorization of rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I identify which word is missing in an omission exercise?
Read each line aloud and check if the sentence sounds complete. Missing words are usually prepositions (on, in, at), articles (a, an, the), conjunctions (and, but), or relative pronouns (which, that) that break the grammatical flow.
Do I need to write only the missing word or the words before and after it too?
CBSE requires you to write the word before the omission, the omitted word, and the word after it in the correct format. Writing only the missing word will not earn full marks.
What types of words are most commonly omitted in CBSE exams?
Prepositions (on, in, at, for), articles (a, an, the), conjunctions (and, but, or), auxiliary verbs (is, was, has), and relative pronouns (which, who, that) are the most frequently omitted words in CBSE editing exercises.