Improve the bracketed part of the sentence. The exhausted travellers seemed relieved when the train finally (came into) the station.

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: pulled into

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This sentence improvement question focuses on choosing the most natural phrasal verb to describe the arrival of a train at a station. The sentence as given uses came into the station, which is understandable but less idiomatic than the usual railway phrasing. The options provide various forms of the phrasal verb pull in or pull into. The task is to select the option that best matches standard English usage in this context.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • The subject is the train.
  • The situation is the train arrival at the station where exhausted travellers are waiting.
  • The original phrase is came into the station.
  • The options suggest alternate verb phrases with pulled.
  • The correct answer should reflect natural collocation with train and station.


Concept / Approach:
In railway related English, the common expression is the train pulled into the station, meaning that it arrived by moving along the tracks into the station area. The verb pull is used because locomotives pull carriages. When followed by into and a place, pulled into describes movement into an enclosed or defined space. Therefore, pulled into the station is the most idiomatic choice. Pulled in the station would need an extra preposition at, and pulled onto is used for movement on to a surface, not into a building or station.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recognise that, although came into is grammatically possible, exams often prefer more specific phrasal verbs. Step 2: Recall standard expressions from announcements and narratives such as The train pulled into the platform. Step 3: Examine option A, pulled in, and imagine the sentence when the train finally pulled in the station, which sounds incomplete and odd. Step 4: Examine option B, pulled into, and see that when the train finally pulled into the station is natural and correct. Step 5: Reject option C, pulled onto, because onto typically relates to surfaces, such as onto the table, not stations. Step 6: Choose pulled into as the best replacement for came into in this specific railway context.


Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify by searching your memory of announcements or reading passages: The train pulled into the station at 5 pm is a standard sentence in many English textbooks. By contrast, the train pulled onto the station is never used. The phrase pulled in is often followed by at the station or simply used without mentioning the station explicitly, as in the train pulled in at 5 pm. Since the original sentence already includes the station after the verb phrase, pulled into fits perfectly.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
pulled in: Alone, pulled in would be followed by at the station, not directly by the station. So the structure pulled in the station is awkward. pulled onto: Onto indicates movement on to a surface. We might say pulled onto the bridge but not onto the station, because a station is not a surface in this sense. no improvement: While came into is not strictly wrong, examiners aim to test recognition of idiomatic railway usage, which favours pulled into for trains arriving at stations.


Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes treat no improvement as a safe option when the original sentence is understandable. However, in sentence improvement questions, the goal is to choose the best, not merely a possible, expression. Another pitfall is confusion between into and onto; remembering that into implies entry into an enclosed or defined area, while onto suggests movement on to a surface, helps in many similar questions.


Final Answer:
The improved sentence is The exhausted travellers seemed relieved when the train finally pulled into the station.

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