Select the appropriate preposition that specifically expresses being descended…

Concept: Many English verb+preposition combinations form idioms with a meaning more specific than the verb alone conveys. With "come," different prepositions serve different senses: "come from" is the general preposition for a place, country, or broad point of origin; "come of" is the fixed idiom specifically used for descent, lineage, or rank (e.g. coming of noble, royal, or humble stock); "come to" states a total amount reached or a state regained; and "come with" states something included or attached.

Application: In "He comes ____ a noble family," the word "noble" signals rank and lineage, which is exactly the sense the fixed idiom "come of" is used for. So the blank takes "of," giving "He comes of a noble family" - meaning he is descended from nobility.

Contrast:

• "from" is the general preposition for a place or broad point of origin, as in "He comes from Kerala"; it does not carry the specific formal sense of descent or rank that the fixed idiom "come of" does.

• "with" states something included or attached, as in "The laptop comes with a charger" - an accompaniment sense, not descent.

• "to" states a total amount reached or a state regained, as in "The bill comes to five hundred rupees" or "He came to his senses" - neither is a descent sense.

Note: in everyday conversational English, "come from" is sometimes loosely used for family background too; but this fill-in-the-blank item specifically tests the fixed, dictionary-recognised idiom "come of," which is the standard term for stating descent, lineage, or rank.