Choose the most appropriate option to fill in the blank .
Meera plays the flute___ than Rishita.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → more skillfully
Comparative degree of adverbs:
- Adverbs, like adjectives, have three degrees: positive (skillfully), comparative (more skillfully) and superlative (most skillfully).
- Adverbs ending in -ly form the comparative with more and the superlative with most.
- Clue word: "than" after the blank.
- This sentence: two people are compared and the word "than" follows the blank, so the comparative more skillfully is needed.
- Complete sentence: Meera plays the flute more skillfully than Rishita.
Example: Anil drives more carefully than his brother.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: much skillfully — Incorrect. "Much" strengthens a comparative ("much more skillfully") but cannot form one by itself.
Option 2: skillfully — Incorrect. This is the positive degree; it cannot be followed by "than".
Option 3: most skillfully — Incorrect. This is the superlative degree, used when one is compared with all the others in a group ("most skillfully of all"), not with "than".
Contrast: "than" calls for the comparative "more skillfully"; the positive "skillfully" never takes "than", and the superlative "most skillfully" compares one with all the others in a group.