Question

Fill in the blank with the appropriate word
The package should be here ______ ten o’ clock tomorrow.
a) delivered
b) via
c) by
d) through

Answer 1

Hint: We can see that we have to select a preposition to complete the sentence. So we can eliminate the words which are not prepositions in the given options. Prepositions are words that signify the position of the object of the sentence.

Complete answer:
Option a can be eliminated because it is not a preposition. The word “delivered” is a verb. Also, it is making the sentence grammatically wrong when placed in the sentence. Thus, option a is a wrong answer.
Option b is also not a preposition. The word “via” means through something. He came via the train. This means he came by train. He came via Delhi. This means the route he took included Delhi. Thus, it is the wrong answer.
Option c is “by”. This is the correct answer because “by ten o’clock” means before ten o’clock. So the given sentence means that the package will be delivered before ten o’clock.
Option d is wrong because a package being delivered “through” ten o’clock does not make any sense. Using “through” in a sentence means using something as a medium. Sheetal sent a message to Vivek through Seema. So Seema gave the message to Vivek on behalf of Sheetal. So Seema was a medium. Thus, the correct answer is option c.

Note:
Understanding the type of word to be used in a sentence can help eliminate obvious options. For example, we recognized that the given sentence needs a preposition so we could eliminate words which were not prepositions. Then we had to select the correct preposition. Therefore, a good knowledge of prepositions is necessary.