Choose the most appropriate option to fill in the blank:
The domestic help gradually _____from the pantry and hence his actions went unnoticed for a long time.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → pilfered
Pilfer means to steal small things or small amounts, usually secretly and again and again. "Gradually" and "went unnoticed for a long time" show small, secret thefts from the pantry.
Example: The clerk pilfered stationery from the office for months.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: picked up — Incorrect. Pick up means to lift or collect something; it does not carry the idea of secret stealing, and "picked up from the pantry" without an object makes no sense.
Example: She picked up the book from the floor.
Option 2: subtended — Incorrect. Subtend is a term of geometry: a line or arc subtends an angle when it lies opposite it.
Example: The chord subtends an angle of 60 degrees at the centre.
Option 4: spent — Incorrect. Spend means to use money, time or energy; "spent from the pantry" makes no sense, and spending is not an act that needs to go unnoticed.
Example: He spent all his savings on a new bike.