In the following passage, some of the words have been left out. Read the passage carefully and select the correct answer for the given blank out of the four alternatives. Sentence for this blank: “It is a gift ____________ verbal or linguistic creativity when they can tell stories, write essays, and converse easily with people.”

Introduction / Context:
This cloze question asks you to select the correct preposition that completes a phrase describing a gift related to language ability. The sentence is about people who can tell stories, write essays and talk easily with others, and it calls this ability a gift connected with verbal or linguistic creativity. You must identify the preposition that forms a natural and grammatically correct phrase in English.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Sentence: “It is a gift ____________ verbal or linguistic creativity when they can tell stories, write essays, and converse easily with people.”
• Options: at, from, so, of.
• We describe a “gift of…” when we talk about a talent related to a specific area, such as “gift of music”.
• The rest of the passage highlights natural abilities and the opportunities they open.

Concept / Approach:
In English, when we speak about a special talent or ability, we commonly use the phrase gift of + noun phrase, for example: “gift of speech”, “gift of music”, “gift of the gab”. Here, verbal or linguistic creativity is the area in which the gift appears. Therefore, the correct preposition is of. The other choices (at, from, so) do not form a standard or meaningful expression following gift.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Identify the key phrase: “It is a gift … verbal or linguistic creativity.”Recall the collocation: gift of + skill/quality (gift of writing, gift of storytelling).Insert of: “It is a gift of verbal or linguistic creativity …” – this sounds natural and idiomatic.Check at: “gift at verbal or linguistic creativity” – incorrect; we use good at, not gift at.Check from: “gift from verbal or linguistic creativity” – wrong focus; from expresses source, not area of talent.Check so: “gift so verbal or linguistic creativity” – ungrammatical.Thus, of is clearly the correct choice.

Verification / Alternative check:
Compare with familiar patterns:“She has a gift of music.”“He has a gift of languages.”These parallel structures show that the noun gift is connected to the domain of talent by of. If we try to say “gift at music” or “gift from languages”, they sound wrong. Applied to the sentence in the question, “gift of verbal or linguistic creativity” fits seamlessly and mirrors these examples.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
At is used after adjectives like good, bad, adept, or skilled to show ability (good at singing, adept at writing), not after gift. From typically introduces origin or source (“a gift from my parents”), not the field in which the gift is expressed. So is a conjunction or intensifier in structures like so that, so much, and cannot function as a preposition here. None of these choices forms a standard expression with gift in the sense of talent.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes confuse patterns like good at with gift of because both relate to ability. However, it is important to keep collocations fixed in your mind: good at mathematics, talent for music, gift of storytelling, skill in communication. Knowing which preposition pairs with which noun or adjective greatly increases your accuracy in cloze tests. In this case, remembering gift of + domain of talent leads directly to the correct answer.

Final Answer:
The correct preposition is of, making the sentence: “It is a gift of verbal or linguistic creativity when they can tell stories, write essays, and converse easily with people.”