Prepositions MCQ — 5 Practice Questions with Answers

Explanation

The standard collocation is crowded with people, tourists, vehicles, or other things that fill a place. Therefore, the sentence should read: The City Centre Mall was crowded with tourists. By is used for agency in passive constructions, not for the people filling a place. Of does not form the correct phrase after crowded in this meaning. From indicates source or origin, so it cannot express that tourists were present in large numbers inside the mall.

Explanation

The correct preposition is "at" because standard usage is "indignant at" an action, event, or situation that causes anger. Here the anger is caused by the act of being cheated through the salesman's smooth talk. "With" is normally used for anger directed at a person, not before this gerund phrase. "In" does not form an idiomatic expression with "indignant" in this sentence. "Of" suggests possession or relation, but it cannot express the cause of indignation here.

Explanation

The verb 'crawled' suggests moving on hands and knees or close to the ground, so 'under the fence' gives the natural meaning: the boy passed below the fence to enter the garden. 'Above' would mean moving over a higher level, which does not fit crawling. 'Out' needs a different structure, such as 'crawled out of', and cannot directly complete this sentence. 'Near' only shows position close to the fence; it does not show movement through or below it. Therefore, 'under' is the appropriate preposition.

Explanation

The correct collocation is "beset with", meaning troubled or surrounded by difficulties. Therefore, the sentence should read: India is beset with many problems these days. The preposition "on" does not combine with "beset" in this sense. "Of" is used in phrases such as "full of" or "aware of", but not here. "To" usually marks direction, relation or an infinitive structure, and it does not fit the adjective-like past participle "beset" in this sentence.

Explanation

The verb abstain is normally followed by the preposition from when it means deliberately avoiding an activity, habit, or substance. The correct expression is abstains from alcohol, meaning that a teetotaller does not drink alcohol at all. In does not collocate with abstain in this sense. With suggests accompaniment or association, not avoidance. On is used in other structures but not after abstain for this meaning. Therefore the sentence is completed correctly with from.