________ all the confusion the thief made a quiet getaway.
- (a)Among
- (b)Amongst
- (c)Amidst
- (d)Amid
Correct — C, 'Amidst'. 'Amidst' (like 'amid') means 'in the middle of' and governs an uncountable mass — here 'all the confusion' — whereas 'among/amongst' require a group of separate, countable items (among the trees, among friends). Since 'confusion' is a single uncountable mass, 'Amidst' fits. Note the softness: 'Amid' (d) is an equally correct synonym, so (c) and (d) are effectively interchangeable and this is a close call.
- (a)Among — 'Among' is used for countable, individually distinct members of a group; 'confusion' is an uncountable mass, so 'among' does not fit.
- (b)Amongst — A variant of 'among' with the same requirement of a countable group; wrong for the uncountable 'confusion'.
- (d)Amid — Actually a correct synonym of 'Amidst' here; the key preferred 'Amidst', but 'Amid' is equally acceptable — hence the medium confidence on the (c)/(d) choice.
'Amid/Amidst' = in the middle of an uncountable mass or situation (amid the chaos); 'among/amongst' = surrounded by countable, separable members of a group (among the crowd).
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Choose the correct preposition: 'She stayed calm ______ the panic.'
- (a)among
- (b)amongst
- (c)amid
- (d)between
Answer(c) amid — 'panic' is an uncountable mass, so 'amid/amidst', not 'among'.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which sentence correctly uses 'among'?
- (a)Among the noise she could not think.
- (b)He was popular among his classmates.
- (c)Among the fog they lost the road.
- (d)Among all the confusion he fled.
Answer(b) 'among his classmates' — a countable group takes 'among'.