Question

What are the characteristics of good prose? Choose the most appropriate answer
(A). Use of bombastic words.
(B). Matching the requirements of the targeted readership.
(C). Ease of expression.
(D). Economy of words.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

• A. (A), (B) and (D) only.
• B. (A), (B) and (C) only.
• C. (A), (B), (C) and (D).
• D. (B), (C) and (D) only.

Hint:

When a question asks for characteristics, create a checklist as you read. Mark what the passage praises as "good" and what it criticizes as "bad." This makes it easy to select the correct combination from the options.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The question asks to identify the qualities of good prose as described in the passage.

Step 2: Analyzing the Passage:
Let's evaluate each option based on the text:
\[\begin{array}{rl} \bullet & \text{(A) Use of bombastic words: The passage explicitly criticizes this, stating that a writer who uses "bombastic words... is obviously not going to make any impression." So, (A) is a characteristic of bad prose. } \\ \bullet & \text{(B) Matching the requirements of the targeted readership: The passage presents this as a key consideration for writers like journalists ("guided by the requirements of the public") and literary writers ("has a special audience in mind"). This is a characteristic of effective prose. } \\ \bullet & \text{(C) Ease of expression: The passage lists this directly as a positive quality: "Ease of expression is another criterion in this matter." } \\ \bullet & \text{(D) Economy of words: The passage praises this quality, mentioning that a critic uses "economical sentences, without any sense of wasted effort" and that good writing has a "sense of economy." } \\ \end{array}\] The characteristics of good prose mentioned are (B), (C), and (D).

Step 3: Final Answer:
The correct option is (D), which includes (B), (C), and (D) only.