Fill in the blank with the most appropriate adverb.
He completed the task ______ than anyone expected.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
Correct Answer
faster
Explanation
The question requires the most appropriate adverb to fill in the blank.
The sentence includes the word "than", which is a clear structural signal that a comparison is being made between two entities: the speed at which "he" completed the task versus how anyone else expected it to be done.
When comparing two actions, you must use the comparative degree of the adverb. The adverb fast forms its comparative degree by adding the suffix -er, making faster the correct choice.
The other choices are incorrect for the following reasons:
Fast is the positive degree, used when no comparison is being made.
Fastest is the superlative degree, used only when comparing three or more things.
Most fast is grammatically incorrect because single-syllable adverbs do not use "most" to form degrees of comparison.
Key Points
The presence of the keyword "than" in a sentence almost always mandates the use of a comparative modifier ending in -er or preceded by more.