Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: under
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This English comprehension question is based on a short passage that describes how a traditional kerosene pump stove works. The examinee has to choose the most appropriate preposition to complete the phrase the fuel in the tank below would be ____ pressure. Such questions test knowledge of standard English collocations as well as the ability to understand a technical description in context.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The key concept here is collocation, which means the typical combination of words that native speakers naturally use together. With the noun pressure, English uses the fixed phrase under pressure to express that something is subject to or experiencing pressure. Other prepositions like inside, into, or about do not form a standard idiomatic phrase in this context. Therefore, the best way to complete the sentence is fuel in the tank below would be under pressure.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Read the entire sentence to understand that it describes how fuel behaves when heated in a closed tank.
Step 2: Recognize that the sentence is referring to the physical pressure that builds up in the tank as kerosene burns.
Step 3: Recall common English expressions such as under pressure, under tension, and under strain that describe a state of being affected by a force.
Step 4: Test each option mentally: inside pressure, into pressure, about pressure, and under pressure, and notice that only under pressure is idiomatic.
Step 5: Conclude that the correct preposition is under, producing the phrase be under pressure.
Verification / Alternative check:
A simple way to verify the answer is to think of other familiar sentences. For example, water pipes are under pressure, or the system is under pressure when it heats up. These everyday sentences match the same grammatical structure. No natural example exists with be inside pressure or be about pressure in this physical sense, which strongly confirms that under is the only correct collocation.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
inside: Inside pressure is not a standard phrase; we talk about pressure inside a container, but we do not say be inside pressure.
into: Into expresses movement toward the inside of something; be into pressure would suggest motion rather than a state and does not fit here.
about: About pressure would mean roughly or concerning pressure, which does not match the intended physical condition of the fuel.
Common Pitfalls:
Many learners focus only on literal meanings of prepositions and ignore collocations. They may feel that inside pressure sounds logical because the pressure is located inside the tank. However, English usually expresses this idea as be under pressure or say that there is pressure inside the tank. Another pitfall is to rush through passage based questions without reading the full sentence, which increases the chance of picking a non idiomatic option. Always check what phrase is typically used with the key noun in the blank.
Final Answer:
The fuel in the tank below would be under pressure.
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