Question

In the question below are given two sentences numbered 1 and 2. In these sentences, two homonyms are given in italics type, which may be either misspelled or inappropriate in the context of the sentence. Read both the sentences carefully and decide on their correctness on the basis of the italicized words.
1.He won the election only because of the support he got from his zealous party workers.
2.Savita’s friends were jealous of her success in the prestigious competition.
Option a- Only sentence 1 is correct
Option b- Only sentence 2 is correct
Option c- Both the sentences 1 and 2 are correct
Option d- 1 as well as 2 are incorrect, but both could be made correct by interchanging the italicized words.
Option e- Neither 1 nor 2 is correct, and the sentence could not be made correct by interchanging the italicized words.

Answer 1

Hint: Homonyms refer to those words that have the same sound or same spelling but different meanings. Example- Fan has two meanings, first meaning refers to the ceiling fan that rotates and produces air and the second meaning refers to the admirer or follower of a popular figure.

Complete answer:
In the given question- The homonyms are ‘zealous’ and ‘jealous’.
Zealous refers to the quality of being enthusiastic or committed towards something or someone. Example- The students were extremely zealous in the preparations of the party.
Jealous refers to the quality of being envious or malicious of someone or something. Example- My mother has always been jealous of her elder sister.
Now, in sentence 1, we can understand that it has been stated ‘X’ won the election only because of the support he got from his enthusiastic and committed party workers.
In sentence 2, we can conclude that it has been stated Savita’s friends were envious of her success in the prestigious competition.
Let’s look at the given options-
a- ‘Only sentence 1 is correct’ is an incorrect option as both 1 and 2 are correct.
b- ‘Only sentence 2 is correct’ is an incorrect option as both 1 and 2 are correct.
c- ‘Both sentences 1 and 2 are correct’ is the correct option.
d- ‘1, as well as 2, are incorrect, but both could be made correct by interchanging the italicized words.’ Is an incorrect option.
e- ‘Neither 1 nor 2 is correct, and the sentence could not be made correct by interchanging the italicized words.’ Is an incorrect option.
So, the correct answer is “Option c”.

Note:
Do not get confused between homonyms and homophones as ‘Homonyms’ are also known as ‘homophones’ and both have the same function.