Question

What is happening __ this picture?
Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word.
A) At
B) From
C) Of
D) In
E)Off

Answer 1

Hint: The question is based on one of the elements of the eight parts of speech, that is prepositions. Prepositions are words used right before a noun or pronoun, which denote a relation between the noun/pronoun and the rest of the sentence.

Complete answer:
In the question, the preposition is concerned with the pronoun ‘this’ and the noun ‘picture’. Accordingly, the options can be evaluated-

Option A) At: It is an incorrect option. The preposition ‘at’ is generally used to denote any place or an estimated time period. Since the question concerns neither place nor time period, therefore ‘at’ is not the suitable option. Some sentences where ‘at’ can be used are:
- Lucy was at the party when I arrived.
- The restaurant begins its operations at 8 in the morning.

Option B) From: It is an incorrect option. The preposition ‘from’ is used to refer to the starting point of things and also the place where they belong to. Since the question does not ask about the starting point or origin of the picture, ‘from’ will not be the appropriate answer. Places were ‘from’ can be used are:
- Shalini’s grandparents hail from Sri Lanka.

Option C) Of: It is an incorrect option. The preposition ‘of’ is used to show a relation of belongingness of the noun or pronoun to someone or something. Since the question shows no element of belongingness to the noun picture, therefore ‘of’ is not appropriate in this context. Some usages of the preposition ‘of’ are:
- The Prince of Wales threw a grand feast to celebrate his coronation.
- Few of his friends have got into the underground mafia gang.

Option D) In: It is the correct option. The preposition ‘in’ is used to indicate a location or point within something. It is also used to convey a short duration of time. Since the question comprises some event portrayed within the picture, therefore the word ‘in’ is suitable to fill the blank. Some usages of ‘in’ are
- There are collections of twenty different genres in that bookstore.
- Nancy will be here in five minutes.

Option E) Off: It is an incorrect option. The preposition ‘off’ can be used in multiple contexts. However, the general meaning of it is away or distant from something. Since the question refers to no such thing which is away from the picture, therefore ‘off’ is an incorrect answer to it. Usages of ‘off’ include
The cat fell off the shisha tree branch.
Harish took a day off work.

Therefore, the correct answer to the question is Option (D) i.e, In. The correct sentence is “What is happening in this picture.”

Note: Prepositions mainly function on a set of rules regarding its application. In order to solve preposition based questions, it is always helpful to remember those rules. Sometimes it can also be estimated by means of picturing the sentence (A cat is __ the tree. Here, under, behind and on are all correct options).