Fill in the blank with the most appropriate preposition: The delegates conferred _____ the issue for several hours before reaching consensus.
on
The blank follows the verb 'conferred', so the task is to pick the preposition that this verb takes in the sense of discussing a matter together.
'Confer' has two meanings: 'confer something on someone' (to grant, e.g. confer a degree) and 'confer on/about something' (to hold discussions). Here the delegates are discussing an issue.
In that discussion sense the standard collocation is 'confer on (a matter)', so 'conferred on the issue' correctly means they consulted together over it.
'and' is a conjunction, not a preposition, so it cannot introduce the object 'the issue'.
'for' would signal purpose or duration, which does not match 'discussed the issue'; 'above' denotes physical position and makes no sense with 'conferred'.
Reading it back, 'The delegates conferred on the issue for several hours' is idiomatic and clear.
Therefore the most appropriate preposition is on.
Similar Questions
The following sentence has two blanks. Choose the most suitable set of prepositions from the given options to fill in the blanks and complete the sentence meaningfully:
She was reprimanded _____ being late and warned _____ further delays.
Fill in the blank with the most appropriate preposition:
He was accused ______ misappropriating company funds.
Fill in the blank with the most appropriate preposition:
The director insisted _____ absolute silence during the rehearsal.
Important Questions from Preposition
A policeman was asked to chase a thief. Before the policeman started the chase, he realised that the thief was 200 metres ahead of him and was running at a speed of 16 km/h. The policeman started the chase at a speed of 20 km/h. How far will the thief run before he is overtaken by the policeman?
- Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank.
The child has been missing ______ yesterday. - Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank.
The teacher was angry ______ the students. - Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank.
She was brought ______ by her grandmother. - Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank.
The sun rises ______ the east.
