Choose the most appropriate option to fill in the blank:
The career talk was so dull that ______ students stayed till the end. The hall was nearly empty by four o’clock.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → few
Complete sentence: The career talk was so dull that few students stayed till the end. The hall was nearly empty by four o’clock. “Students” can be counted. The talk was “so dull” and the hall was “nearly empty”.
| Option | Meaning and use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) a few | some, a small number: a positive sense | We still have a few days before the board exams. |
| (2) little | with uncountable nouns (milk, time) | There was little rain in our district this July. |
| (3) few (answer) | hardly any: a negative sense, with countable plural nouns | Few tourists visit the beach in the monsoon. |
| (4) much | also with uncountable nouns | The new cooler does not make much noise. |