Choose the correct preposition, out of the four options, to be filled in the…
2014
Choose the correct preposition, out of the four options, to be filled in the blank in the following sentence:
Satish's errors may be ascribed _____ his carelessness.
- A.
to
- B.
with
- C.
for
- D.
because of
Attempted by 64 students.
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Correct answer: A
Concept: Many English verbs are fixed to a particular preposition, and the pair must be learned as one unit (a collocation). The verb 'ascribe' belongs to the 'attribute' family — verbs such as ascribe, attribute, and impute all introduce the cause of something with the same preposition, in the pattern 'ascribe / attribute X to Y' (X is assigned to Y as its source).
Application: Here the errors (X) are being traced back to their cause, the carelessness (Y). Inserting the preposition that 'ascribe' demands gives 'Satish's errors may be ascribed to his carelessness' — i.e. the errors are attributed to the carelessness.
Why the other prepositions fail:
'with' goes with verbs like 'charged with' or 'credited with', but does not follow 'ascribe' for a cause.
'for' marks purpose or reason after verbs like 'blamed for', not attribution after 'ascribe'.
'because of' is a causal connective that joins phrases on its own; it cannot occupy the single-preposition slot that 'ascribe' opens.
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