Identify the Part of Speech of the highlighted word :
Smoking is a taboo in many offices nowadays.

Correct option is A

In the sentence, “Smoking is a taboo in many offices nowadays,” the word "Smoking" is functioning as the subject of the sentence.
It refers to the act of smoking, and in this context, it is used as a gerund, which is the -ing form of a verb used as a noun.
Grammar Rule:
· A gerund is formed by adding -ing to a verb and functions as a noun.
· Structure: Gerund (subject) + verb + complement
· Example Sentence:
· Reading helps improve vocabulary. (“Reading” is a noun here.)
Hindi Meaning:
· Smoking – धूम्रपान
· Sentence Meaning in Hindi: आजकल कई कार्यालयों में धूम्रपान वर्जित है।
Explanation of Incorrect Options:
(b) Pronoun – Incorrect
· A pronoun replaces a noun (e.g., he, she, it). "Smoking" is not replacing anything.
(c) Interjection – Incorrect
· An interjection expresses emotion (e.g., oh!, wow!). "Smoking" is not used in this way.
(d) Verb – Incorrect
· Though “smoking” is derived from a verb, it is not functioning as an action here. It is used as a noun.
Conclusion:
The word "Smoking" is a gerund, which functions as a noun in the sentence. Therefore, the correct part of speech is noun.