Choose the most appropriate word from the options given below to fill in the blank.
He _____________ the horse in time and escaped the fall that would have been detrimental.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → reined
Complete sentence: He reined the horse in time and escaped the fall that would have been detrimental. He pulled the reins in time, so the horse stopped and he escaped the fall.
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) reign | to rule as a king or queen (it sounds like "rein" but has nothing to do with horses, and the sentence needs a past tense) | Queen Victoria continued to reign for over sixty years. |
| (2) reined (answer) | the past tense of rein, to control or stop a horse by pulling its reins (the leather bands fixed to its head) | The rider reined in his horse at the edge of the river. |
| (3) rained | the past tense of rain, water falling from the sky (it cannot take "the horse" as its object) | It rained heavily all night. |
| (4) reigned | ruled as a king or queen (it is in the past tense, but a person does not rule a horse to stop it) | Akbar reigned for nearly fifty years. |