Fill in the blank in the following sentence with the most appropriate option:
Of all the students Gautam was the ________ when the mid-sem results were announced.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → least worried
Superlative degree:
- When one person is compared with all the others of a group, the superlative is used, with the: the most / the least + adjective.
- This sentence: "Of all the students" compares Gautam with the whole class, and "the" is already there, so the least worried fits.
- Complete sentence: Of all the students Gautam was the least worried when the mid-sem results were announced.
Example: Of all the players, Riya was the least worried before the final.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: few worried — Incorrect. Few is used before plural countable nouns (few students); it cannot describe the degree of an adjective like "worried".
Example: Few students were absent today.
Option 3: less worried — Incorrect. Less worried is comparative; it compares two and is followed by "than", not by "of all".
Example: Gautam was less worried than his brother.
Option 4: more worried — Incorrect. More worried is also comparative and needs "than".
Example: She was more worried than her friends.