Question

Fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions.
Children _____ sixteen years ____ age are not admitted ____ their parents.
A. Over/ with/ without
B. At/ of/ with
C. Under/ of/ without
D. Of/ at/ with

Answer 1

Hint: We use prepositions to link the noun or the pronoun with the rest of the sentence. Prepositions help in forming a phrase that usually acts like an adjective, adverb, or a noun.

Complete answer: Let’s look at the function of different prepositions-
1) Over- It is used to indicate movement from one side to another. For example- I jumped over the gate.
With- It is used to indicate the existence or companionship of someone or something. For example- I will be visiting with my mother.
2) Without- It is used to indicate the absence or deficiency of something. For example- We won’t be able to climb without a rope.
3) Under- It is used to indicate the position of an object below something else. For example- I was sleeping under the tree.
4) Of- It is used to indicate a relationship between the words in the sentence.
In the given question- We can conclude that children under sixteen years of age are not admitted without their parents.
Here, we have used ‘under’ to indicate the age of children below sixteen years. Further, we have used ‘of’ to indicate the relationship between the noun and the sentence. And then, we have used ‘without’ to indicate the absence of parents.
Now, let’s examine the given options-
Option A. ‘Over/ with/ without’ is an incorrect option because ‘over’ changes the meaning of the sentence.
Option B. ‘At/ of/ with’ is an incorrect option because it changes the meaning of the entire sentence.
Option C. ‘Under/ of/ without’ is the correct option because it produces the desired meaning of the sentence.
Option D. ‘Of/ at/ with’ is an incorrect option because it alters the meaning of the sentence. The correct answer is Option ‘c’.

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