Complete the cloze passage by filling in the blanks with the most appropriate words.
It was a rainy evening when Rohan ____ A __ a crowded city bus. He had just finished his tuition classes and was eager to reach home. As he searched for his ticket, he __ B __ realized his wallet was missing. His heart began to race. Had he dropped it, or had someone stolen it? 'Don't panic, think carefully,' he told himself. He remembered using the wallet __ C __ a small tea stall near the bus stop. Could it still be there? What if someone else had already picked it up? When the bus stopped at the next signal, Rohan quickly got down. 'Please hurry, I must go back!' he whispered under his breath. He ran in the rain, splashing through puddles, his mind full of fear and hope.
To his surprise, the tea vendor smiled and said, 'Young man, you left this behind.' He held out the wet but safe wallet. What a __ D __ (relief) it was! Rohan almost shouted with joy. He thanked the vendor again and again.
This small __ E ____ (incident) taught Rohan a big lesson. He realized that not everyone in the world is dishonest, and kindness often appears when least expected. As he walked home in the rain, he thought, 'I will never be careless with my belongings again!'
Fill in blank (C) with the correct preposition.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
Correct Answer
at
Explanation
The correct preposition to fill in blank (C) is 'at.' In English grammar, the preposition 'at' is used to specify a particular point, location, or concrete establishment in space. Since the sentence refers to a specific, localized commercial spot—'a small tea stall near the bus stop'—the word 'at' is the grammatically accurate choice to denote his location when he used the wallet.
The other options fail to match the context of the sentence. The preposition 'on' indicates being on top of a surface. The preposition 'into' implies movement toward the inside of an enclosed space, which does not fit the static action of using a wallet at a location. The preposition 'by' typically denotes proximity (meaning next to) or the agent performing an action, which changes or weakens the intended meaning here.
Key Point
When dealing with general positions or target destinations that represent specific buildings, shops, or defined meeting points in a town, the preposition 'at' serves as the standard marker. Turning to 'at' anchors the action precisely to the shop location itself.