Question

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words and complete the given sentence.
A well-known chef, started his career __________________ the age of 15 when the prodigy __________________ cooking under Eric Ripert at the iconic New York restaurant.

• A. in, has begun
• B. to, have begin
• C. on, begin
• D. at, began

Hint:

Ensure verb tense consistency throughout a sentence. If the main action is in the past, related actions that occurred at the same time should also be in the past tense. Also, remember the correct prepositions for time, such as 'at' for specific times and ages.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
We need to fill in two blanks in the sentence with the correct preposition and verb form. The sentence describes events that happened in the past.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Analyzing the first blank:
The phrase "started his career ____ the age of 15" requires a preposition to indicate a specific point in time (age). The correct preposition to use with a specific age is "at". So, the phrase should be "at the age of 15".
Analyzing the second blank:
The main clause "A well-known chef, started his career..." is in the simple past tense ("started"). The action in the subordinate clause ("when the prodigy ____ cooking...") also occurred at the same time in the past. Therefore, the verb in the second blank must also be in the simple past tense. The simple past tense of the verb "begin" is "began".
Evaluating the options:

• (A) in, has begun: "in" is an incorrect preposition, and "has begun" is present perfect tense, which is incorrect.
• (B) to, have begin: "to" is incorrect, and "have begin" is grammatically incorrect.
• (C) on, begin: "on" is an incorrect preposition, and "begin" is the present tense form.
• (D) at, began: "at" is the correct preposition, and "began" is the correct simple past tense verb.

Step 3: Final Answer:
The correct pair of words is "at, began", making the sentence: "A well-known chef, started his career at the age of 15 when the prodigy began cooking under Eric Ripert at the iconic New York restaurant."