Extreme focus on syllabus and studying for tests has become such a dominant concern of Indian student that they close their minds to anything ___________ to the requirements of the exam. A. related B. extraneous C. outside D. useful
GATE 2015 · General Aptitude · Most Appropriate Word · medium
Answer: D. useful
- Read the sentence with each option: A: 'close their minds to anything related to the requirements' — opposite meaning, they would ignore exam topics. B: 'close their minds to anything extraneous' — would mean they ignore irrelevant material (not a critique). C: 'close their minds to anything outside' — possible, but grammatically awkward without 'of'. D: 'close their minds to anything useful to the requirements' — implies they reject even what would help them, a strong critique of rigid exam-mindedness.
- Select the best fit: Option D 'useful' fits the context where the sentence criticizes narrow thinking: students focus so hard on exam requirements that they block out even things that would genuinely serve them. This reflects the irony of exam-obsession — rejecting broader useful knowledge.