Question

Find the correct word to fill in the blank:

Many intelligent animals suffer ____ boredom in captivity.

• A. in
• B. from
• C. to
• D. for

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

from

The preposition ‘from’ apart from being used to denote a place/time from which someone/something starts, or to convey a range is also used as a preposition of reason or cause for something. The given statement explains how captivity is the reason for the inculcation of boredom even in intelligent animals. Thus the preposition ‘from’ is the apt option since it explains the connection between the same. Therefore option B is correct. Option D is incorrect because the animals don’t suffer so that they can get bored; they suffer because of boredom. The preposition ‘for’ will change the meaning of the sentence and therefore it is incorrect. Whereas preposition such as ‘in’ and ‘to’ are unsuitable because they are used to denote a physical space while boredom is a mental state of being. Thus when we say animals suffer ‘in’ boredom it sounds illogical since boredom is neither a place that animals are ‘in’ nor a place to which they can go ‘to’. So options A and C are incorrect.