Question

In the question below are given two sentences numbered I and II. In these sentences, two homonyms are given in italics type, which may be either misspelt or inappropriate in the context of the sentence. Read both the sentences carefully and decide on their correctness based on the italicized words.
I. He practises what he preaches.
II. The practice of closing shops on Sundays is quite common.
a- Only sentence I is correct.
b-Only sentence II is correct.
c- Both the sentences I and II are correct.
d- I as well as II are incorrect, but both could be made correct by interchanging the italicized words.
e- Neither I nor II is correct, and the sentence could not be made correct by interchanging the italicized words.

Answer 1

Hint: Homonyms indicate those words that have the same pronunciation or spelling but different meanings and origins. Example- dear and deer, sea and see, etc.

Complete answer:
Let’s look at the two given statements-
I- He practises what he preaches. Here, ‘practises’ refers to working on or going through activity or action. Hence, X goes through what he preaches.
II. The practice of closing shops on Sundays is quite common. Here, ‘practice’ refers to a custom or tradition followed by the people. Hence, the custom of closing shops on Sundays is quite common.
Now, let’s examine the given options-
Option a- ‘Only sentence I is correct’ is an incorrect option because both the statements are correct.
Option b- ‘Only sentence II is correct’ is an incorrect option because both the statements are correct.
Option c- ‘Both the sentences I and II are correct’ is the correct option because we can see the appropriate use of homonyms.
Option d- ‘I as well as II are incorrect, but both could be made correct by interchanging the italicized words’ is an incorrect option because both the options are correct.
Option e- ‘Neither I nor II is correct, and the sentence could not be made correct by interchanging the italicized words’ is an incorrect option because both the options are correct. The correct answer is Option ‘c’.

Note:
Homonyms are also known as homophones because both have the same function. Also, do not get confused between different words, first understand their meanings and origin.