Question

Choose the correct option to fill in the blank with the help of the hint in the brackets.
We ____ respect our elders. (duty/obligation)
(a) Should
(b) Could
(c) Will
(d) Would

Answer 1

Hint:Read the given sentence and try to understand the context of the given sentence. Choose the option which can best express the action being conveyed while keeping in mind that it should indicate a form of duty or obligation.

Complete answer: Modal verbs refer to those verbs or words that are used to indicate capability, probability or necessity. For example- Can, could, may, should, will, etc.
Let’s look at the usage of different modal verbs-
i. Could- ‘Could’ is the past tense form of ‘can’. It is used to indicate the potentiality or probability of a person to do something in the past or in indirect speech. For example- They could have called me.
ii. Will- ‘Will’ is used to indicate decisions, promises or offers about future predictions. For example- I will reach on time.
iii. Should- ‘Should’ is used to denote obligation or a sense of duty. For example- You should complete your work by evening.
iv. Would- ‘Would’ is the past tense form of ‘will’. It indicates decisions, promises, etc. For example- They would cook food in the forest.
In the context of the question, with the help of the hint, we know that the sentence indicates a sense of duty or obligation.
Hence, the correct answer is- We should respect our elders. Here, we have used ‘should’ because it is used to denote obligation.
Now, let’s examine the given options-
Option a- ‘Should’ is the correct option because it indicates obligation.
Option b- ‘Could’ is an incorrect option because it indicates potentiality or probability.
Option c- ‘Will’ is an incorrect option because it is used to make future predictions.
Option d- ‘Would’ is an incorrect option because it indicates past instances.
The correct answer is Option ‘a’.

Note: Always remember that ‘should’ can also be used to give advice or recommendations. For example- You should take the highway, it’s safer.