Question

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word.
I was sleeping_________ the alarm rang.
a)When
b)How
c)Why
d)Which

Answer 1

Hint: The question hints at the time of an event that happened. The blank must be filled indicating that after the alarm bell rang, she woke up. The reason for her waking up is the alarm bell and the blank should be filled accordingly to establish the same.

Complete answer:

 Option a ‘When’ can be used in different ways – interrogative, relative, or as a conjunction.
Interrogative – at what time (When did you talk to him last?)
Relative – reference to a certain time or circumstance (Friday is the only day when I go to the temples.)
Conjunction – at or during a certain time (I loved to dance when I was at school)
After which or to show suddenness (He had just dozed off when his phone rang)
‘When’ is used to represent a single activity that takes place in the middle of a longer event. In this case, a continuous verb is used in the main clause to describe the event. This is demanded by the given question and so, this option is correct.
I was sleeping when the alarm rang.
Option b ‘How’, an adverb, denotes the manner in which a certain event takes place. The question demands to connect the two clauses to show the relation between the two and ‘How’ doesn’t give meaning to the sentence if put into. So, option b is incorrect.
Option c ‘Why’ generally denotes interrogation or shows the reason for a certain event. The sentence doesn’t demand to know the reason for and usage of ‘Why’ is grammatically incorrect. So, option c is also incorrect.
Option d ‘Which’ denotes a question or a sense of the information provided about the main clause or event. The subordinate clause in the given sentence doesn’t provide any information about the main clause. ‘The alarm rang’ doesn’t provide any information about ‘She was sleeping’ and on the other hand, doesn’t fulfill the motive of the sentence. So, option d is also incorrect.

Note: Try to understand the meaning of the sentence and what it demands.