Question

Regrettably [A] / Regretfully [B] I have to decline your invitation.
I am drawn to the poetic, sensual [A] / sensuous [B] quality of her paintings.
He was besides [A] / beside [B] himself with rage when I told him what I had done.
After brushing against a stationary [A] / stationery [B] truck my car turned turtle.
As the water began to rise over [A] / above [B] the danger mark, the signs of an imminent flood were clear.

• A. BAABA
• B. BBBAB
• C. AAABA
• D. BBAAB
• E. BABAB

Hint:

Pay attention to idiomatic expressions — often one word in the pair is used almost exclusively in fixed phrases.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

The correct choices for the given questions are explained as follows:

• Regretfully [B]: "Regretfully" means with regret, suitable here because it relates to declining an invitation.
• Sensuous [B]: "Sensuous" relates to sensory pleasures. In this context, it fits the description of paintings better than "sensual," which often pertains to physical pleasure or sexual attraction.
• Beside [B]: "Beside himself" is an idiom meaning extremely agitated or outraged. "Besides" means in addition to and does not fit in this context.
• Stationary [A]: "Stationary" means not moving. The context is about a non-moving truck, whereas "stationery" refers to writing materials, irrelevant here.
• Above [A]: Here, "above the danger mark" is correct because it indicates surpassing a threshold, important when discussing water levels and flood risk.

Thus, the most suitable completion for each sentence according to the options given is BAABA.