She got up very __________ to catch the 5 a.m. train.

The correct answer is Option (1) → early

An adverb is a word that tells how, when, where or how much something happens. It can also describe an adjective or another adverb, for example she sings sweetly, very hot.

Complete sentence: She got up very early to catch the 5 a.m. train. “Very” goes before the plain form of an adverb (very early, very fast). It does not go before the -er or -est form.

Option	What it tells	Example
(1) early (answer)	adverb of time in its plain form: it tells when she got up	Raju reached school very early today.
(2) earlier	the -er form: it compares two times and often takes “than” (we say “much earlier”, not “very earlier”)	Sita came earlier than her brother.
(3) earliness	a noun: it cannot describe a verb like “got up”	We were surprised by the earliness of the monsoon this year.
(4) earliest	the -est form: it compares one thing with all others and usually comes with “the”	The earliest bus to Shimla leaves at 5 a.m.