Fill in the blank with the correct noun clause:
______ surprised the new hostel students.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → That the old watchman could speak four languages
Noun clause as the subject:
- A noun clause can be the subject of a verb. When it opens the sentence, it usually begins with that.
- Complete sentence: That the old watchman could speak four languages surprised the new hostel students.
- The blank is the subject of “surprised”. The clause names the thing that surprised the students.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: What the old watchman could speak four languages — Incorrect. “What” means “the thing that”. It needs a missing object in its clause, as in “what he said”. Here “speak” already has its object, “four languages”. Example: What the doctor said calmed us down.
Option 3: Because the old watchman could speak four languages — Incorrect. “Because” opens an adverb clause of reason. Such a clause tells why, so it cannot be the subject of “surprised”. Example: We left early because the roads were flooded.
Option 4: The old watchman could speak four languages — Incorrect. This has no joining word. It is a full sentence, so “could speak” and “surprised” end up as two main verbs with nothing to link them.