Question

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate option:
My brother learned ______ the same time as me, but I passed first.
a) At
b) in
c) on
d) No preposition

Answer 1

Hint: The word preposition has the word position in it which means it shows us the position of something with respect to another thing. It is usually placed before the noun. In the given sentence we have to see the time period during which the brother learned something and use a suitable preposition.

Complete answer:
 Option a is “at”. The word at signifies a particular time, for example, Meet me at 6 p.m.
Using it in the given sentence: “My brother learned at the same time as me, but I passed first”. So they are talking about finishing at a particular time and not over a length/period of time. Thus, it is the correct answer.
Option b is wrong because “my brother learned in the same time as me” is wrong. The preposition in indicates either a belief, a time period, a variant, etc. Examples of sentences using the preposition “in” are:
I believe in hard work. (belief)
I shall go home in spring. (time period)
This shoe comes in four colours. (variant)
Even though “in” signifies a time period as well, it refers to a particular length of time and not a particular time. For example, Meet me in the morning- means meet me at any time in the morning. Meet me at 8 AM means you have to meet me at a particular time which is 8 AM.
Option c is wrong because on means to be on something. For example, she placed the coffee on the table. It has no relation to learning something during a particular time.
Option d is wrong. Prepositions show the relationship between the subject and object in a sentence. Thus, a preposition is definitely needed in the blank given in the sentence.

Note:
 There is a chance of confusion between options a and b. “At” indicates a particular/specific time. “In” indicates a duration of a few hours, minutes, years, etc., that is, a length of time.