Choose the word or phrase that best completes the sentence below.
__________ in the frozen wastes of Arctic takes special equipment.
A. To survive B. Surviving C. Survival D. That survival
GATE 2011 · General Aptitude · Most Appropriate Word · medium
Answer: C. Survival — 'Survival in the frozen wastes of Arctic takes special equipment' is the most natural and grammatically clean sentence.
Identify grammatical roles: The blank is the sentence subject; 'takes special equipment' is the predicate. Options A (infinitive), B (gerund), and C (noun) can all be subjects. Option D ('That survival') would require a full clause like 'That survival is possible takes...' — it does not work cleanly.
Select the most natural subject: In formal, factual English, a plain noun ('Survival') is the most natural and direct subject. 'Surviving in the frozen wastes...' (B) is correct but slightly informal; 'To survive in the frozen wastes...' (A) has an infinitive subject which is stylistically less preferred. 'Survival in the frozen wastes of Arctic takes special equipment' reads smoothly and precisely.