Question

Fill in the blank with the appropriate preposition.
The public were deeply moved ___________ the sight.

• A. by
• B. at
• C. on
• D. upon

Hint:

In classic passive voice sentences (e.g., were moved, was written, is created), the standard grammatical connector used to introduce the cause or agent is almost always "by".

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Concept: This sentence requires identifying the correct preposition to complete a passive voice construction.
• Passive Voice Structure: \[\text{Subject} + \text{was/were} + \text{Past Participle (V3)} + \text{preposition + \text{Agent/Cause}\]
• In this sentence, "The public" is the subject, "were deeply moved" is the passive verb string, and "the sight" is the triggering agent or cause.

Step 1: {Analyzing prepositional usage with passive verbs.}
In standard English grammar, when an emotion or reaction is directly caused by an external agent or event in a passive sentence, the standard preposition used to introduce that cause is "by".
• "Moved by" is an established phrasal pairing that means to be emotionally affected or touched by an occurrence.

Step 2: {Evaluating alternative options.}

• by: This is the standard preposition used to introduce the performing agent or cause in a passive sentence layout.
• at: While one can be "shocked at" or "amazed at" something, "moved at" is less idiomatic when describing a profound emotional transformation caused by a scene.
• on: This indicates a physical surface or specific date, which does not fit here.
• upon: This means immediately after or on top of, which breaks the standard causal flow of this passive structure.

Step 3: {Conclusion.}
Assembling the chosen option gives the standard sentence: "The public were deeply moved by the sight." This matches the verified answer key marker.