which hoice?

[hooshdar3]

While I think it's a poor question, I think diligent speech is the least likely answer.

Why would you say "diligent" is the most unlikly answer?

[Tdol]

Because you have to add extra context to make sense of it- you have to add information about the student normally being lazy, for instance; otherwise, why would it be a surprise? There's nothing surprising about diligent students- there may be a surprise about a particular student being diligent for once. Take a look at this forum- for every student who posts their homework question and expects us to do it for them, there are hundreds diligently supplementing their learning. It's not a shock to find diligence among students. Without adding further information, which is not in the sentence, what possible reason could there be for using diligent? Also, describing a speech as diligent is a strange pairing- what exactly is a diligent speech?

[hooshdar3]

Because you have to add extra context to make sense of it- you have to add information about the student normally being lazy, for instance; otherwise, why would it be a surprise? There's nothing surprising about diligent students- there may be a surprise about a particular student being diligent for once. Take a look at this forum- for every student who posts their homework question and expects us to do it for them, there are hundreds diligently supplementing their learning. It's not a shock to find diligence among students. Without adding further information, which is not in the sentence, what possible reason could there be for using diligent? Also, describing a speech as diligent is a strange pairing- what exactly is a diligent speech?

There is no other context-it was a test!So hypothesize as you like!

[COLOR="rgb(65, 105, 225)"]diligent (ˈdɪlɪdʒənt) [/COLOR]

Definitions
adjective

careful and persevering in carrying out tasks or duties
carried out with care and perseverance ⇒ diligent work

Definition of diligent | Collins English Dictionary

Why doesn't a diligent speech mean a well-done speech?

[Tdol]

Supplying an imaginary context in your head is not the way to get a test question right. You have to try to choose the best answer from the choices given. You cannot hypothesise as you like, even with exclamation marks.

I am well aware of the meaning of the word diligent, and quoting a dictionary definition does not prove your case.

Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) - zero results for 'diligent speech'
http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/- zero results for 'diligent speech'
Google manages 363 examples, and most of them are things like diligent speech therapy

I said it was a strange pairing, and it is.

On a personal note, I am retiring from posting in your threads.

[hooshdar3]

Supplying an imaginary context in your head is not the way to get a test question right. You have to try to choose the best answer from the choices given. You cannot hypothesise as you like, even with exclamation marks.

I am well aware of the meaning of the word diligent, and quoting a dictionary definition does not prove your case.

Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) - zero results for 'diligent speech'
http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/- zero results for 'diligent speech'
Google manages 363 examples, and most of them are things like diligent speech therapy

I said it was a strange pairing, and it is.

On a personal note, I am retiring from posting in your threads.

Why sir?
your posts will help me a lot.