Fill in the blank in the following sentence with the most appropriate option given below:
There were _______ forty students at the lecture today.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → under
"Under" before a number:
- Before a number or an amount, under means fewer than or less than that number.
- This sentence: "There were under forty students" means the number of students was below forty.
- Complete sentence: There were under forty students at the lecture today.
Example: The tickets cost under two hundred rupees each.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: less — Incorrect.
- "Less" needs "than" before a number; "less forty" is not English.
- With a countable noun like students, the standard form is "fewer than forty".
Example: We have less time than we thought.
Option 3: beneath — Incorrect. Beneath means physically lower than something; it is not used with numbers.
Example: The keys were beneath the newspaper.
Option 4: among — Incorrect. Among means in the middle of a group; "among forty students" would need a different sentence.
Example: She sat among her friends.
Contrast: "under forty" needs no "than"; "less" and "fewer" need it ("fewer than forty").