Question

Sachin Tendulkar was the best batsman of Indian cricket team ______ many years.

• A. from
• B. since
• C. for
• D. in

Hint:

'For' is used to state the length of a period of time (duration), while 'since' indicates the starting point of a period that continues to the present. 'From' also indicates a starting point but is often paired with 'to' or 'till' for a complete range.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understand the context of the sentence and the need for a preposition indicating duration.
The sentence states that Sachin Tendulkar "was" (simple past tense) the best batsman, followed by "many years," indicating a period of time during which this was true. We need a preposition that correctly expresses this duration.

Step 2: Evaluate each preposition for its usage with time expressions.
(1) from: 'From' is typically used to indicate a starting point in time (e.g., "from 1990," "from dawn till dusk"). It does not correctly express a duration like "many years."
(2) since: 'Since' is used to indicate a starting point in time when an action or state has continued up to the present (e.g., "He has been living here since 2005"). It is usually used with perfect tenses (present perfect, present perfect continuous). Since the sentence uses "was" (simple past), 'since' is not appropriate here.
(3) for: 'For' is commonly used to express a duration or a period of time (e.g., "for five hours," "for a week," "for many years"). This perfectly fits the context of describing the length of time Sachin Tendulkar held the status of the best batsman.
(4) in: 'In' is used for specific periods (e.g., "in 2000," "in the summer," "in the past"). It is not used to express a duration like "many years."

Step 3: Conclude the most appropriate preposition.
The preposition 'for' correctly indicates the duration "many years" in the given sentence.