Question

Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate words-
The famous explorer left ___ the North ____ the fifth of March.
a- to/on
b- to/in
c- for/at
d- beside/on
e- for/on

Answer 1

Hint: We use prepositions to link the noun or the pronoun with the rest of the sentence. Prepositions help in indicating the position of the nouns and pronouns.

Complete answer:
Let’s look at the function of different prepositions-
For- ‘For’ is used to indicate the reason, time, and location. Example- I departed for my exam.
On- ‘On’ is used with days and dates. Example- I will submit the work on Monday.
Beside- ‘Beside’ is used to refer to alongside or by the side of. Example- I was sitting beside him.
In- ‘In’ is used to indicate position inside a place. Example- I am in the kitchen.
At- ‘At’ is used to indicate a location. Example- I am waiting at the airport.
In the given question- A famous explorer, ‘X’ left for the North on the fifth of March. Here, we have used ‘for’ to indicate the location and ‘on’ to indicate a date.
Now, let’s examine the given options-
Option a- ‘to/on’ is an incorrect option, because we cannot use ‘to’ indicate a location.
Option b- ‘to/in’ is an incorrect option, because we cannot use ‘in’ to indicate a date.
Option c- ‘for/at’ is an incorrect option, because we cannot use ‘at’ to indicate a date.
Option d- ‘beside/on’ is an incorrect option, because we cannot use ‘beside’ to indicate a location.
Option e- ‘for/on’ is the correct option, because we use ‘for’ to highlight indication and ‘on’ to indicate a date.
So, the correct answer is “Option e”.

Note:
A preposition cannot function without an object, otherwise, it becomes an adverb. Example- (1) The boy performed beside the stage. (2) The boy stood beside. In (1), ‘beside’ acts like a preposition, whereas in (2), ‘beside’ acts like an adverb that modifies the verb, ‘stood’.