Prepositional Collocations | Advanced Level | 30 Questions & Answers with Explanations

"Blind of" is not a valid collocation — the metaphorical sense of being unaware of something requires "blind to," not "blind of," regardless of how formal or scientific the surrounding sentence is.

Correct sentence: "...scientists remain largely blind to the precise mechanisms underlying the disease's rapid progression."

Memory hook: "blind of" simply doesn't exist as a collocation in either sense (metaphorical or physical) — the only two valid forms are "blind to" (unaware) and "blind in" (an eye).

"Superior to" remains fixed regardless of the formality of the legal context — the Latin-origin comparative rule doesn't change based on subject matter.

Correct sentence: "The tribunal's ruling was widely seen as superior to the earlier judgment delivered by the lower court on the same matter."

Memory hook: legal, academic, or corporate framing never changes the underlying collocation — "superior to" stays fixed everywhere.

A "self-inflicted wound" describes death by one's own hand, which requires "died by," not "died of," which is reserved specifically for disease.

Correct sentence: "...had died by a self-inflicted wound, ruling out foul play entirely."

Memory hook: "self-inflicted" is a strong contextual signal for "died by," even without the literal phrase "his own hand" appearing in the sentence.

"Comply with" remains fixed regardless of how the surrounding clauses are structured or how many conditions are attached to the sentence.

Correct sentence: "The revised safety protocols require all contractors to comply with strict environmental standards before construction can commence."

Memory hook: no amount of added conditions or clauses changes the core fixed phrase — "comply with" is non-negotiable.

This sentence is correct — "comparing...with...to highlight areas of relative strength" appropriately uses "compared with" since the sentence is examining differences (relative strengths and weaknesses) between the company and its competitors.

Correct sentence stands as written.

Memory hook: "relative strength/weakness" language signals a difference-focused comparison, confirming "compared with" is the right choice here, not an error.

This tests the metaphorical sense of "blind to," meaning unaware of or unwilling to recognise a fact, here applied to social privilege rather than a simple danger or consequence.

Correct sentence: "He has long been blind to his own privileged upbringing, rarely acknowledging the advantages it afforded him."

Memory hook: "blind to" extends naturally to abstract social or psychological blind spots (privilege, bias, one's own flaws), not just physical dangers.

"Angry at him" is incorrect because the anger is directed at a person (the minister), which requires "angry with," not "angry at," which is reserved for things or situations.

Correct sentence: "...opposition members who were angry with him for weeks afterward."

Memory hook: even in a political, formal context, the angry with/at rule stays exactly the same — a named person after the blank always needs with.

This question tests whether students recognise that a breach implies non-compliance, so the sentence logically requires the negative form "did not comply with," rather than any positive form of the collocation — the fixed preposition itself ("with") never changes, but the surrounding logic determines whether it's negated.

Correct sentence: "The court found that the defendant's actions did not comply with the explicit terms set out in the contract, resulting in a breach."

Memory hook: "resulting in a breach" is the key logical clue — a breach only makes sense following non-compliance, so check the full sentence logic, not just the fixed collocation itself.

"Deserving to" is incorrect — the fixed collocation is "deserving of," following the same of pattern as "fond of" and "proud of," not to.

Correct sentence: "The charity's founder has always been deserving of the recognition she has received for her decades of humanitarian work."

Memory hook: "deserving of" stays in the of family — don't let the nearby word "recognition" (which can pair with "to" in other contexts, like "entitled to recognition") pull you toward the wrong preposition.

"Suffer from" remains fixed regardless of the medical condition named or how long the sentence describing the illness becomes.

Correct sentence: "The elderly patient, who had suffered from severe arthritis for over a decade, finally underwent surgery to relieve the chronic pain."

Memory hook: no matter how specific or rare the illness named, "suffer from" is the universal, unchanging collocation for any medical condition.

"Different than" is not the standard form expected in Indian competitive exams, which consistently follow "different from," even though "different than" is common in informal American usage.

Correct sentence: "...is markedly different from that of the rest of the team..."

Memory hook: no matter how naturally "different than" might read (especially to those familiar with American English), Indian exam boards consistently expect "different from" — treat this as a fixed rule for exam purposes.

"Despite representing fundamentally opposing philosophies" signals that the comparison is fundamentally about differences, so "compared with" is correct, not "compared to," which would suggest a focus on similarities.

Correct sentence: "The two economic models are frequently compared with one another in academic literature, despite representing fundamentally opposing philosophies."

Memory hook: "opposing," "opposite," "contrasting," and "despite" are all strong signals for "compared with" — they explicitly frame the comparison around difference, not similarity.

"Proud about" is incorrect — the fixed collocation is "proud of," regardless of how the sentence is otherwise phrased or how much additional context is added.

Correct sentence: "He remains fiercely proud of his humble origins, often crediting his early struggles for shaping his work ethic."

Memory hook: even with an intensifier like "fiercely" attached, "proud of" never changes to "proud about" — the fixed preposition is unaffected by adverbs modifying the adjective.

"Abstain from" remains fixed regardless of the formal, disciplinary context of the sentence — the collocation doesn't shift based on subject matter (alcohol, discussion, contact, or any other noun).

Correct sentence: "Employees found to be in violation of the code of conduct will be required to abstain from any further contact with the client in question."

Memory hook: HR and disciplinary language often surrounds this collocation with formal phrasing, but "abstain from" itself never changes.

"Different to" is a British informal variant sometimes used, but for standard Indian competitive exam purposes, only "different from" is treated as correct, making "different to" an error here.

Correct sentence: "...gave accounts that were markedly different from each other, further complicating the investigation."

Memory hook: unlike "different than" (American) versus "different from" (standard), "different to" is a British informal variant — but exam boards still expect "different from" as the safe, standard answer in both cases.

"The moral consequences" is an abstract concept, not a physical eye, so the metaphorical "blind to" is correct, not the literal "blind in," which is reserved specifically for physical loss of sight.

Correct sentence: "The prosecution argued that the defendant was blind to the moral consequences of his actions, showing no remorse throughout the trial."

Memory hook: abstract nouns (consequences, danger, truth, privilege) after the blank always signal "blind to" — physical body parts (eye) always signal "blind in."

"Inferior than" is incorrect — like "superior," "inferior" is a Latin-origin comparative that takes to, not "than."

Correct sentence: "...economic output remains significantly inferior to that of neighbouring states, despite recent infrastructure investment."

Memory hook: "superior" and "inferior" are permanently exempt from the regular "-er than" comparative pattern — both always take to, no exceptions.

"Comply with" remains fixed regardless of the labour-relations context or the formality of the demand being described.

Correct sentence: "The union has formally demanded that management comply with all provisions of the collective bargaining agreement without further delay."

Memory hook: whether the context is safety regulations, contracts, or labour agreements, "comply with" is the single unchanging form across all formal/legal writing.

This sentence is correct — "good with numbers" is a valid, distinct collocation from "good at mathematics," used specifically when describing a natural aptitude or ease with something (numbers, people, tools), while "good at" is used for skills, subjects, and activities.

Correct sentence stands as written.

Memory hook: "good at" a subject/skill/activity differs from "good with" a type of thing one has a natural knack for (numbers, children, tools, animals) — both are valid, just used in slightly different contexts.

Even though the sentence notes the reports reached "broadly similar conclusions," the act of directly setting two formal reports "side by side" for detailed examination is more naturally expressed with "compared with," which is the standard, safer choice in formal analytical writing regardless of the ultimate similarity or difference in outcome.

Correct sentence: "The committee's findings were compared with those of the independent auditor, though both reports reached broadly similar conclusions."

Memory hook: in formal, analytical, or academic writing describing a detailed side-by-side examination of two things, "compared with" is generally the safer default — reserve "compared to" for more casual, simple likening statements ("compared to a work of art").

A heart attack is a medical/health event, similar to an illness or disease, so it requires "died of," not "died in," which is reserved for accidents.

Correct sentence: "...who died of a heart attack five years ago."

Memory hook: a heart attack, though sudden, is categorised as an illness/medical event, not an accident — this is a commonly tested exception where students mistakenly default to "died in" simply because the death was sudden.

"Deserving of" remains fixed regardless of what noun follows it (pity, recognition, praise, respect) — the collocation itself never changes based on the specific object.

Correct sentence: "Despite his considerable achievements, he remains remarkably deserving of any form of public recognition or praise."

Memory hook: "deserving of" works identically whether the object is negative (pity, blame) or positive (recognition, praise) — the fixed preposition doesn't shift with the emotional tone of what follows.

"The sudden drop in share price" is a situation, not a person, so the correct collocation is "angry at," not "angry with," which is reserved for anger directed at people.

Correct sentence: "The board members were reportedly angry at the sudden drop in share price, holding an emergency meeting the same evening."

Memory hook: financial and business contexts don't change the underlying angry with/at rule — a situation or event (a drop, a delay, a decision) still needs at, never with.

"Reveals extensive editorial changes" explicitly signals that the comparison is being made to highlight differences between the two versions, matching the difference-focused function of "compared with."

Correct sentence: "The final manuscript, when compared with the author's original draft, reveals extensive editorial changes throughout."

Memory hook: "reveals changes/differences" is as strong a difference-signal as "decline" or "shortfall" — instantly reach for "compared with" whenever a sentence explicitly states that a comparison exposes a contrast.

"Comply" is missing its required preposition entirely here — the fixed collocation is "comply with," and simply dropping the preposition altogether (not even substituting a wrong one) is itself a common advanced-level error.

Correct sentence: "...all financial institutions must comply with, particularly regarding disclosure requirements."

Memory hook: "comply" can never stand alone before its object — unlike "reach" or "discuss," which take no preposition at all, "comply" always needs "with"; don't confuse the two categories.

"People" is a group of persons, so "angry with" is correct, following the person-based rule even though "people" is plural and somewhat general rather than one specific named individual.

Correct sentence: "She has always been angry with people who lack basic honesty, refusing to associate with anyone she suspects of dishonesty."

Memory hook: the angry with/at rule applies to any reference to persons, whether singular, plural, specific, or general — "people," "colleagues," "students" all still count as persons and take with.

"Superior with" is incorrect — the fixed collocation is always "superior to," regardless of what is being compared or how the sentence is otherwise phrased.

Correct sentence: "The final report is markedly superior to the draft version circulated earlier in the year, both in depth and clarity."

Memory hook: "superior to" never takes "with" or "than" — reinforce this one final time as an absolute, non-negotiable rule with no exceptions.

"Comply with" remains fixed even in a diplomatic/geopolitical context describing nations rather than individuals or companies — the collocation applies uniformly regardless of the subject.

Correct sentence: "The negotiations collapsed after the smaller nation refused to comply with the demands set out by its larger neighbour."

Memory hook: whether the subject complying (or refusing to comply) is a person, company, or entire nation, "comply with" never changes form.

A "genetic disorder" is a disease/illness, so the standard Indian exam convention requires "died of," not "died from," which is treated as an informal American variant.

Correct sentence: "His younger brother died of a rare genetic disorder that had gone undiagnosed for most of his childhood."

Memory hook: no matter how rare, specific, or medically complex the illness named, the fixed rule for Indian competitive exams stays the same — die of a disease, never "died from."

"Deserving of" remains fixed in this formal, evaluative context, following the same of pattern tested throughout this quiz regardless of subject matter — recognition, pity, praise, or, as here, a position.

Correct sentence: "The final candidate was widely regarded as deserving of the position, having demonstrated exceptional leadership throughout the selection process."

Memory hook: as a final reinforcement, "deserving of" applies to literally any object that follows it — abstract (recognition), positive (praise), or concrete (a position, a prize) — the preposition never shifts.