Question

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word.
No one really believed it when the news came that the Titanic had ______.
A) gone away
B) gone down
C) gone out
D) gone by

Answer 1

Hint: A phrasal verb is the combination of two or three words from different parts of speech – a verb and a particle, such as an adverb or a preposition – to form a single semantic unit. Many phrasal verbs in English are idiomatic in the sense that the meaning of the verb and particle is different from the base verb.

Complete answer:
Let us analyze the given options:
Option A) gone away: The phrasal verb ‘gone away’ means to leave a place and spend a period of time somewhere else especially as a holiday. Hence, here this phrasal verb is not apt.
Option B) gone down: The phrasal verb ‘gone down’ means to reach at a bottom point where there is no escape, or to sink below the surface of the water. Hence, here this phrasal verb is apt.
Option C) gone out: The phrasal verb ‘gone out’ means to leave a place somewhere for enjoyment, or to stop burning or shining. Hence, here this phrasal verb is not apt.
Option D) gone by: The phrasal verb ‘gone by’ means to accept what someone says, to pass by or to move past or stop somewhere for a short time. Hence, here this phrasal verb is not apt.

Therefore the correct answer is option ‘B’.

Note: Phrasal verbs are utilized very much like verbs which we can utilize anywhere they bode well. Generally, the verb and preposition in a phrasal action word should be said together, as in the expression "fall down" at times, however, you can isolate the verb and the preposition by placing different words in the middle of them. Phrasal verbs are generally used in communicative English and informal texts.