Choose the correct preposition, out of four options, to be filled in the blank…
2014
Choose the correct preposition, out of four options, to be filled in the blank of the following sentence:
Saina Nehwal's performance is not consistent _____ her talent.
- A.
with
- B.
for
- C.
at
- D.
into
Attempted by 72 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Concept: A dependent (adjective) preposition is fixed by the head adjective, not by general meaning. The adjective "consistent", when it compares two things and means "in agreement or harmony", takes the preposition "with" — the collocation is "consistent with".
Application: Here the sentence compares her performance against her talent and says the two do not match. The relationship is agreement/correspondence, so the adjective "consistent" must be completed by "with": "...not consistent with her talent" = her performance does not agree with the level of her talent.
Why the other prepositions fail:
"for" — expresses purpose, recipient or duration, not agreement between two things.
"at" — marks a location or a skill level ("good at"), not correspondence.
"into" — implies movement or transformation, not a relationship of agreement.
Result: The sentence reads "Saina Nehwal's performance is not consistent with her talent", meaning her results do not match the ability she has.
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