Scarcely had I — Sentence Correction Aptitude Question
Scarcely had I: Fill in the blank: Scarcely had I reached the station ______ the train left. Answer and worked solution on CodeKairo.
- Topic: Sentence Correction
- Section: Verbal Ability
- Difficulty: Medium
- Time target: 55 seconds
Question
Fill in the blank:
Scarcely had I reached the station ______ the train left.
Options
- than
- then
- when
- that
Show the answer and the worked solution
Correct answer: C. when
Worked solution
- The fixed pairs are no sooner … than, scarcely … when and hardly … when.
- The sentence opens with scarcely, so the partner is when.
Answer: when.
The idea
Learn these correlative pairs as units. Mixing 'no sooner … when' or 'scarcely … than' is the error the question tests.
Shortcut. Only 'no sooner', a comparative, takes than; scarcely and hardly are not comparatives and pair with when.
Common trap. than — borrowed from 'no sooner … than', the pair most candidates learn first.