Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb given in the bracket:
Though she was tired after the long train journey from Patna, Nani insisted on ______ (cook) dinner for the whole family.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → cooking
Complete sentence: Though she was tired after the long train journey from Patna, Nani insisted on cooking dinner for the whole family. To insist on something means to say firmly that it must happen. The blank comes right after “insisted on”.
| Option | Form and use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) to cook | the to-verb; it does not come after a preposition such as on. It follows verbs such as want or decide | Nani wants to cook kheer for Diwali. |
| (2) cooking (answer) | the -ing form; “on” is a preposition, and a verb that comes after a preposition takes the -ing form | Amma is fond of cooking for guests. |
| (3) cook | the base form without “to”; comes after helping verbs such as do or did, not after a preposition | Nani did not cook anything on Sunday. |
| (4) cooked | the simple past (V2) and the past participle (V3) of cook; neither form comes straight after a preposition | Nani has cooked rajma for lunch. |