Question:

Directions: Replace the number with the word(s) that best fit(s) the meaning of the passage as a whole. Choose the best option for the blank marked (49).
It is _____ (46) to read a book about our planet by an author who does not allow facts to be _____ (47) by politics: well aware of the political disputes about the effects of human activities on climate and biodiversity, this author does not permit them to _____ (48) his comprehensive description of what we know about our biosphere. He emphasizes the enormous gaps in our knowledge, the _____ (49) of our observations, and the _____ (50) of our theories, calling attention to the many aspects of planetary evolution that must be better understood before we can accurately diagnose the condition of our planet.

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The word continues the theme of "gaps in our knowledge," so it should describe a shortage or thin spread of scientific data, a sense most naturally expressed by a specific term used for data and observations.
Updated On: Jul 20, 2026
  • Leanness
  • Neatness
  • Tidiness
  • Thinness
  • Sparseness
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The Correct Option is

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: The blank appears in a list of three shortcomings the author highlights: "the enormous gaps in our knowledge, the [blank] of our observations, and the [uncertainty] of our theories." All three items describe limitations in the current scientific understanding of the planet.
Step 2: Since "gaps in knowledge" is about missing information, the word describing observations should likewise point to a lack or scarcity, in this case a shortage of recorded scientific observations.
Step 3: "Neatness" and "Tidiness" describe orderliness, which has no bearing on how much data exists, so these are clearly wrong. "Leanness" and "Thinness" both hint at scarcity but are more commonly used for physical bodies or budgets rather than scientific data sets. "Sparseness" is the standard term used in scientific and statistical writing to describe a shortage or thin spread of observations or data points, which fits precisely with the discussion of gaps in knowledge about the biosphere.
Step 4: The word that best continues the theme of insufficient data, matching "gaps in our knowledge," is "sparseness."
Answer: (e) Sparseness
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