- In the following paragraph, one word has been omitted in each line. (ii) burning fossil. An increase in greenhouse
- In the following paragraph, one word has been omitted in each line. (ii) burning fossil. An increase in greenhouse
Official answer
Word before: fossil | Word Omitted: fuels | Word after: An — 'fossil fuels' is the fixed collocation naming the substances whose burning releases greenhouse gases.
Marking scheme
- 1.1 mark only if the missing word 'fuels' is given AND correctly placed after 'fossil' (before: fossil; after: An / next word). No mark for the word alone without the before/after slots, and no mark for any other word.
Hint
'fossil' is only an adjective here — it needs its usual noun partner; think of the common energy-source word pair.
Quick oral answer
The missing word is 'fuels': the phrase is 'burning fossil fuels' — 'fossil' is an adjective that needs its collocating noun 'fuels', the substances whose burning releases greenhouse gases.
Common mistakes
- 1.Leaving the line unchanged because 'burning fossil' looks acceptable, forgetting that 'fossil' is an adjective needing the noun 'fuels'.
- 2.Giving only 'fuels' without the required word-before ('fossil') and word-after context, which loses the mark under CBSE's strict format.
Analysis and explanation
Word-omission task testing a fixed collocation ('fossil fuels').
Concept
- Line: 'burning fossil. An increase in greenhouse' → reconstructed as '...burning fossil fuels.'
- 'fossil' is an adjective here and cannot stand alone as the object of 'burning'; it needs its usual noun partner.
Key points
- The collocation 'fossil fuels' (coal, oil, natural gas) is the substance being burnt, matching the paragraph's topic (source of greenhouse gases).
- CBSE format: word before = 'fossil', word after = 'An' (start of the next sentence).
Common mistakes
- Leaving 'fossil' unchanged, mistaking it for a standalone noun, or supplying an unrelated word instead of recognising the collocation.
Real-world
- Burning fossil fuels (coal, petroleum, natural gas) is the leading real-world cause of rising greenhouse-gas emissions.
Previously asked
Word omitted exercise: ii. This depends the physical / iii. conditions under the material forms. / iv. This results a wide range of colours...
Editing: Walt Disney was our hero. He | e.g. was | Correction: is. (a) left me a legacy that can (b) be enjoy time and again. He (c) knew who to entertain us so well. (d) He developed a process in creating animated films.
Interesting facts
'Fossil fuels' — coal, oil and natural gas — supply roughly 80% of the world's energy and are the largest human source of greenhouse-gas emissions, tying the grammar directly to the passage's theme.
Collocation-based omissions (fossil→fuels, heavy→rain, make→decision) are a favourite CBSE trap because the missing partner word 'feels' present even when it is not written.
Question details
Q28 of 53 questions
- Board
- CBSE
- Class
- Class 10
- Subject
- English (Communicative)
- Year
- 2026
- Section
- Section C
- Marks
- 1
- Type
- Fill in the Blank
- Chapter
- Grammar
- Topic
- Editing — Word Omission (line ii)
- Bloom's level
- apply
- Syllabus topic
- Section C: Grammar — Editing: Omission of Words (noun/collocation)
- Author
- CBSE
- Reviewed by
- Padhantu Academic Team
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Frequently asked questions
Why is the missing word 'fuels' and not something grammatical like 'the'?
'Fossil' is an adjective that needs a noun. The standard collocation and the passage's meaning (things that are burnt to release greenhouse gases) give 'fossil fuels', so the dropped noun is 'fuels'.
What do I write as the word after 'fuels'?
'Fuels' ends its sentence, so the next printed word is 'An' (start of 'An increase in greenhouse gases'). Write — before: fossil, missing: fuels, after: An.