Question:

"The team ______ more than 300 runs in 20 overs ___________ rains. However, some players needed to improve their batting skills." Choose the option with the correct sequence of words to fill the blanks.

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Check which word matches the past tense used later in the sentence.
Updated On: Aug 14, 2026
  • score; despite
  • scoring; instead of
  • scored; despite
  • scoring; in spite of
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

This item tests two things at once: matching verb tense to the rest of the sentence, and pairing the right preposition with "rains".

  1. score; despite: "Score" is a bare present form, but the closing clause "some players needed to improve" is clearly past tense, so this breaks the tense match.
  2. scoring; instead of: "Scoring" leaves the first clause without a main verb, and "instead of rains" makes no sense since nothing replaces the rain here.
  3. scored; despite: "Scored" agrees with the past tense used later in the sentence, and "despite" sits correctly before a noun like "rains" with no extra word needed.
  4. scoring; in spite of: "Scoring" still leaves no main verb for the clause, so the sentence stays incomplete even though "in spite of" is grammatically fine on its own.

Only the third pair keeps both blanks grammatically sound, so "scored; despite" is the answer.

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