Question

Complete the collocation words ________ weapon.

• A. nuclear
• B. atomic
• C. molecular
• D. electronic

Hint:

Think of the word used in news reports about countries testing missiles or bombs of mass destruction.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

To complete the collocation "________ weapon," we need to choose the word that most naturally fits with "weapon" to form a commonly used phrase. Let's analyze the options: 

1. Nuclear Weapon: The term "nuclear weapon" is widely recognized and used to describe explosive devices that derive their destructive force from nuclear reactions. This is a well-known collocation and is the correct answer.
2. Atomic Weapon: While the term "atomic weapon" is sometimes used interchangeably with "nuclear weapon," it is less commonly used today. Historically, it referred to weapons based on the process of nuclear fission.
3. Molecular Weapon: This term does not form a standard or recognized collocation in military or general parlance. Therefore, it is not a suitable option.
4. Electronic Weapon: While there are weapons that utilize electronic systems, such as electronic warfare tools, "electronic weapon" is not a conventional or strong collocation.

Thus, the correct completion for the collocation is "nuclear weapon".

Answer 2

A collocation is a pair of words that speakers naturally use together, even when other close words would also make grammatical sense.

1. nuclear: In everyday and news English, people say "nuclear weapon" when talking about the class of destructive weapons based on nuclear reactions. This is the set phrase, so it is correct.
2. atomic: "Atomic" pairs naturally with "bomb" (as in atomic bomb), not with "weapon"; swapping the noun breaks the usual collocation.
3. molecular: Molecular relates to molecules and chemistry, and is not used to describe this category of weapon.
4. electronic: Electronic weapons are not a standard fixed phrase in English usage.

The correct collocation is nuclear weapon, so the answer is option A.