Fill in the blank with the most appropriate option:
Although the research team travelled _________ into the submerged ruins of Alexandria than any previous expedition, they still failed to solve the enduring mystery of Cleopatra's tomb.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → deeper
An adjective is a word that describes a noun or a pronoun, for example a tall tree, the food is tasty.
Complete sentence: Although the research team travelled deeper into the submerged ruins of Alexandria than any previous expedition, they still failed to solve the enduring mystery of Cleopatra's tomb. This sentence compares how far this team went with how far "any previous expedition" went, and "than" follows the blank, so the comparative deeper is needed.
| Option | What it tells | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) deepest | The superlative (-est, most) compares one thing with all the others of a group and takes "the", not "than". Deepest is the superlative form, used when one thing is compared with all others in a group. It does not go with "than". | The Pacific is the deepest ocean in the world. |
| (2) deep | Deep is the positive form and makes no comparison, so it cannot be followed by "than any previous expedition". | The lake is very deep near the dam. |
| (3) furthermost | Furthermost means most distant. It is a superlative-type word of distance and does not fit before "than". | They camped at the furthermost end of the valley. |
| (4) deeper (answer) | When two things are compared, the word takes its comparative form, usually -er or more, and is followed by than. | This well is deeper than the one in our village. |