(a) He acted according __________ my instructions. (b) They scaled up the wall __________ means of a rope. (c) Gina has a passion __________ music. (d) Father patted Jai __________ his back for his good results. (e) I have not seen Sonia __________ last May. (f) They worked __________ the night to complete the project on time. (g) Ms. Sharma refused to buy a new car because the cost was __________ her means. (h) Saif knew nothing about the event since it had happened __________ he was born.

(a) to (b) by (c) for (d) on (e) since (f) through (g) beyond (h) before

HOW THE 4 MARKS ARE AWARDED: half a mark per blank.

Most of these are FIXED COLLOCATIONS and must be learnt as whole phrases rather than reasoned out: (a) according TO — fixed. Never "according with". (b) BY means of — fixed. The phrase is always "by means of". (c) a passion FOR — fixed. Compare: a taste for, a talent for, an appetite for. All take FOR. (d) patted him ON his back — with parts of the body the preposition is ON (patted on the back, hit on the head, kissed on the cheek). (e) SINCE last May — use SINCE with a POINT in time (since May, since 2019) and FOR with a DURATION (for two years). The present perfect "have not seen" requires one of them. (f) worked THROUGH the night — from one end of it to the other. "During" would mean at some point within it, which weakens the sense of working the whole night. (g) BEYOND her means — fixed idiom meaning more than she can afford. "Above her means" is a common wrong answer. (h) BEFORE he was born — a conjunction of time here rather than a preposition of place; the event preceded his birth.

STUDY METHOD: learn the verb or noun WITH its preposition as one unit — according to, by means of, passion for, beyond one’s means — because that is exactly how they are tested.