Question:
Choose the correct option out of the four choices given.
A good judge never gropes ___________ the conclusion.
Choose the correct option out of the four choices given.
A good judge never gropes ___________ the conclusion.
A good judge never gropes ___________ the conclusion.
Show Hint
Sort the verb by its job. Verbs of searching, like look, hunt and feel, all take the same preposition, while "arrive" and "come" take different ones.
Updated On: Jul 17, 2026
- to
- at
- on
- for
Show Solution
Verified By Collegedunia
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
"Grope" means to feel about blindly, the way a person searches in the dark with outstretched hands. When it is used for searching after something, the fixed pairing is "grope for", as in "he groped for the switch" or "she groped for the right word". The sentence uses the idea figuratively: a good judge does not fumble blindly after a conclusion, but reasons towards it.
- to: "To" marks a destination and pairs with verbs of arriving, like "come to a conclusion". "Grope" is a verb of searching rather than arriving, so this pairing does not hold.
- at: "At" pairs with "arrive at a conclusion" and "jump at a chance", and the pull of "arrive at a conclusion" makes it the main trap here. But "grope at" would mean pawing at a thing already located, which is not the sense of blind searching the sentence needs.
- on: "On" marks a surface or a topic. "Grope on the conclusion" carries no meaning at all, so it is the weakest choice.
- for: This is the standard preposition after "grope" when something is being searched for. "Gropes for the conclusion" says the judge is fumbling blindly after an answer, which is exactly the failing the sentence denies.
The correct option is (D) for. The sentence reads: "A good judge never gropes for the conclusion", meaning a good judge reaches the finding by reasoning, not by blind guesswork.
Let's summarize:
- Grope for is the settled pairing when the verb means to search blindly for something.
- "To" and "at" belong to verbs of arriving, such as "come to" and "arrive at", while "on" has no use with "grope" here.
The answer is (D) for.
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