Fill in the blank with the most appropriate option:
When I called Hishma for directions, she said that her house is ten kilometers ___ the highway.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → off
"Off" for distance from a road or line:
- Off shows a position away from a main road, coast or line.
- Pattern: distance + off + the road/coast, as in "two miles off the coast".
- This sentence: the house is ten kilometres away from the highway, so "ten kilometers off the highway".
- Complete sentence: When I called Hishma for directions, she said that her house is ten kilometers off the highway.
Example: Their farm is two kilometres off the main road.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: by — Incorrect. By means near or beside. "Ten kilometers by the highway" does not express a distance from the highway.
Example: The school is by the river.
Option 3: away — Incorrect. Away needs from before the place: "ten kilometers away from the highway". Without "from" the phrase is incomplete.
Example: The station is a kilometre away from the market.
Option 4: at — Incorrect. At shows a point or position, not a distance from something. "Ten kilometers at the highway" makes no sense.
Example: We met at the bus stop.
Contrast: off takes the road directly ("ten kilometers off the highway"); away needs "from" ("ten kilometers away from the highway").