Question

Fate smiles ____ those who untiringly grapple with stark realities of life.
(Fill in the blank with an appropriate word.)
(a) With
(b) Over
(c) On
(d) Round

Answer 1

Hint:Read the given sentence and try to understand what it is trying to convey. Now, go through the options and recall what each of them signifies. You can use the hit and trial method to see which of the options fits the context well. Make sure that the sentence formed is grammatically correct.

Complete answer: We use prepositions to join the subject or the noun with the rest of the sentence and help in indicating the position of an object. Prepositions help in forming a phrase that usually acts like an adjective, adverb or a noun.
Let’s look at the usage of different prepositions-
i. With- It is a preposition that is used to indicate feelings and emotions. For example- I presented the speech with confidence.
ii. Over- It is a preposition that is used to indicate movement of an object from one place to another. For example- I went over to his house last night.
iii. On- It is a preposition that is used to indicate the state of an object. For example- The school was on fire,
iv. Round- It is a preposition that is used to indicate movement. For example- The moon goes round the earth.
In the context of the question, we are talking about the state of something. Hence, the correct answer is; Fate smiles on those who untiringly grapple with stark realities of life.
Now, let’s examine the given options-
Option a- ‘With’ is an incorrect option because we are not talking about feelings or emotions.
Option b- ‘Over’ is an incorrect option because we are not indicating the movement of an object.
Option c- ‘On’ is the correct option because we are talking about the state of something.
Option d- ‘Round’ is an incorrect option because we are not denoting movement.
The correct answer is Option ‘c’.

Note: A preposition cannot function without an object, otherwise, it becomes an adverb. Always remember that a preposition acts as a modifier for the subject and not the object.