Question

Select the appropriate word that makes the sentence most meaningful:
What do you make _____ all this?
a. to
b. of
c. by
d. for

Answer 1

Hint: Try to understand which prepositions the verb ‘make’ is usually followed by. There is a specific meaning that is required to complete this sentence. This means that we need to understand the exact context of the sentence.

Complete answer:
 Prepositions are words that are used to show positions, locations, direction, and time. They are usually placed in front of nouns and gerunds.
Example - In the sentence ‘There is a book on the table’, the word ‘on’ describes the location of the book. So, it is definitely a preposition. There are many verb + preposition combinations in the English language, which are easy to learn, like ‘get up’. Prepositions indicate the different relationships between other words in a sentence. They can be very important parts of a sentence, as they can give you important insight into the meaning of the sentence.
For example, in the sentence ‘We had a picnic at the park’, we understand where the picnic took place. It clearly conveys that the picnic did not take place at any other location.
This is an example of a preposition of location. There are many more types of prepositions.
The given sentence is essentially asking someone what they think about something that has happened. There is a specific phrase that needs to be completed which is ‘make __’. This phrase refers to ‘to have or form an opinion about (something or someone)’.

Now, we know what we are looking for. Let’s look at the given options-
a. to - The word ‘to’ refers to ‘expressing motion in the direction of (a particular location)’, so this does not complete the given phrase. It does not complete the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
b. of - The word ‘of’ refers to ‘expressing the relationship between a direction and a point of
reference’, so this completes the given phrase. It completes the given sentence. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.
c. by - The word ‘by’ refers to ‘identifying the agent performing an action’, so this does not complete the given phrase. It does not complete the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
d. for - The word ‘for’ refers to ‘intended to be given to’, so this does not complete the given phrase. It does not complete the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note:
The meaning of the sentence is important because it will be easier to understand what is required. Understand the meaning and choose the preposition that makes the most sense. Also, make sure that the sentence remains grammatically correct.