Question

Which of the following sentences uses the correct form of the verb in the context of the passage?

Kausani is situated at a height of 6,075 feet.in the Central Himalayas. It is an unusually attractive little town. It covers just about 5.2 sq. km. It lies to the north of Almora in Uttarakhand's picturesque Kumaon region. Kausani provides a 300 km wide breathtaking view of the Himalayas. It is the most striking aspect of this place. Snow-capped peaks are spread in a stately row. They stare at you in silvery-white majesty. The most famous peak on view is Nanda Devi, the second-highest mountain in India. It is situated at a height of 25,645 feet and 36 miles away as the crow flies. The other famous peaks on view are Choukhamba (23,420 feet) and Trishul (23,360 feet). Then there are also Nilkhamba, Nandaghunti, Nandaghat and Nanda Kot. On a clear day, the blue of the sky makes a splendid background to these peaks. At sunrise and at sunset, when the colour changes to a golden orange, the scene gets etched in your memory. When Gandhiji visited this place in 1929, its scenic beauty held him spellbound. Не named it the 'Switzerland of India'. He prolonged his two-day stay to fourteen write days, making time to was a book, Anasakti Yoga. The place where he staying was originally a guest house of the tea estate. It was renamed Anasakti Ashıram after the book. Kausani is the birthplace of Sumitranandan Pant, a renowned Indian poet . Its natural surroundings have inspired many of his poems. Its tea gardens mingle with dense pine forests and fruit orchards. The area is also host to many fairs and religious ceremonies. If Uttaranchal abode of gods, Kausani is their backyard. There is no traffic, no one is in a hurry. If serenity could be put on a canvas, the picture would resemble Kausani.

• A. The Himalayas stares at you in silvery-white majesty.
• B. The Himalayas stared at you in silvery-white majesty.
• C. The Himalayas staring at you in silvery-white majesty.
• D. The Himalayas stare at you in silvery-white majesty.

Answer 1

Answer:

D. The Himalayas stare at you in silvery-white majesty.

Why this is correct:

• “Himalayas” is a plural noun (because it refers to a range of mountains) so it takes a plural verb.

• Hence “stare” (plural form) is correct, rather than “stares” (singular).

Why the other options are wrong:

• (A) The Himalayas stares ... — “stares” is a singular verb, which doesn’t agree with the plural subject “Himalayas.”

• (B) The Himalayas stared ... — Past tense doesn’t match the present tense style used in the passage. Also, the sense is more vivid/present.

• (C) The Himalayas staring ... — This isn’t a full finite verb; it’s a participle hence doesn’t form a correct main verb for the sentence.