Fill in the blank with the correct word or phrase from the options gi…

The correct answer is Option (3) → hope not

"So" and "not" as one-word replies after hope:

• In a short reply after hope, one word stands for the whole clause:
  • "I hope so" — a positive reply.
  • "I hope not" — a negative reply.
• This sentence: Megha was asked whether it would rain. "I hope not" stands for "I hope it will not rain", the natural short reply.
• Complete sentence: I asked Megha earlier if she thought it would rain and she said, ‘I hope not.’

Why the Other Options are Incorrect?

Option 1: hope — Incorrect. "Hope" needs an object (a clause, "so" or "not") after it. "I hope." alone is incomplete as a reply.
Example: I hope you enjoy the trip.

Option 2: hope it — Incorrect. The pronoun "it" cannot stand for a whole clause after "hope". English uses "so" for that ("I hope so"), not "it".
Example: "Will you come?" "I hope so."

Option 4: could not hope — Incorrect. "I could not hope" means it was not possible for me to hope. It does not answer whether it will rain, and it leaves "hope" without an object.
Example: We could not hope for better weather on our holiday.

Contrast: "I hope so" is the positive short reply and "I hope not" the negative one. "It" cannot stand for the whole clause.

Note: In the original NTA paper, Option 4 read "don't hope". NTA accepted this option as a correct answer as well. To leave only one correct answer and avoid confusion for students, it has been changed here to "could not hope".

Advice for the exam: In the real exam, mark the answer that is grammatically or factually correct. If NTA’s provisional answer key marks a different option, challenge it during the answer-key challenge window and give the reason in one or two lines.