Select the most appropriate option to substitute the highlighted segment in the given sentence. If there is no need to substitute…

Question

Select the most appropriate option to substitute the highlighted segment in the given sentence. If there is no need to substitute it, select ‘No improvement’. Tom was standing besides the schoolhouse poster, when the ball rolled towards him.

1. A. stand beside the schoolhouse poster
2. B. stood beside the schoolhouse poster
3. C. standing beside the schoolhouse poster (Correct answer)
4. D. No improvement

Correct Answer

Option C — standing beside the schoolhouse poster

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is standing beside the schoolhouse.

Key Points

• Beside means *next to*; besides means *in addition to* or *apart from*. The sentence describes position, so it needs beside.
• The tense must also stay as it is — "Tom was standing" is past continuous, so the participle standing is retained rather than *stand* or *stood*.
• Only the option that corrects the preposition while preserving the participle is right.

Additional Information

• The pair in use: "She sat beside me" (position) against "Besides English, he speaks Tamil" (addition).
• Other confusable pairs tested the same way: among/between, in/into, on/upon, since/for, among/amongst.
• Past continuous is formed with was/were + -ing and describes an action in progress, often interrupted by another — which is why the participle must survive the correction.
• When an option changes more than the error requires, it is usually wrong; the best answer alters the mistake and nothing else.