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SBI PO Prepositions

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This page covers SBI PO Prepositions with complete concept notes, 12 graded practice MCQs, key points and exam-specific tips. Free to study.

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Concept Notes

Prepositions— Rules & Concept

1.Core Concept

Read this first — the foundation of the topic

Common prepositions include

in, on, at, by, for, with, from, to, under, over, between, among, through, during, since, until

KEY RULES FOR TIME PREPOSITIONS

• AT - specific times (at 5 PM, at noon, at night) • ON - days and dates (on Monday, on 15th August) • IN - months, years, seasons (in January, in 2023, in summer) • SINCE - starting point (since morning) • FOR - duration (for 2 hours) • BY - deadline (by evening) • DURING - throughout a period (during the match) KEY RULES FOR PLACE PREPOSITIONS: • AT - specific points (at home, at the station) • ON - surfaces (on the table, on the road) • IN - enclosed spaces (in the room, in Delhi) • ABOVE/OVER - higher position • BELOW/UNDER - lower position • BETWEEN - two things (between you and me) • AMONG - more than two (among friends)

2.Formula Block

Memorise — at least one formula appears in every paper

Time Formula: AT (specific) → ON (days) → IN (periods)

Place Formula: AT (point) → ON (surface) → IN (space)

Movement Formula: TO (destination) / FROM (source) / THROUGH (passage)

3.Exam Patterns

What examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs

Fill in the blanks (5-7 questions per paper)

Error spotting in sentences

Phrase replacement questions

Idioms with fixed prepositions

4.Shortcuts

Use these to save 30–60 seconds per question

- THE 'AIM' METHOD: A - AT for specific (AT 6 PM, AT Delhi station) I - IN for general/enclosed (IN morning, IN the box) M - ON for surface/days (ON table, ON Sunday)

5.Worked Example

Solve this step-by-step before moving on

1

Step 1

First blank needs specific time → use AT

2

Step 2

Second blank needs specific day → use ON Answer: 'The meeting is scheduled AT 3 PM ON Monday.' WORKED EXAMPLE 2: Question: 'He has been working ___ the company ___ 5 years.'

1

Step 1

First blank shows association → use FOR or IN or WITH

2

Step 2

'working in the company' is correct (enclosed workspace)

3

Step 3

Second blank shows duration → use FOR Answer: 'He has been working IN the company FOR 5 years.' SHORTCUT 2 - FIXED PREPOSITION PAIRS: • Different FROM (not 'different than') • Consist OF (not 'consist in') • Comply WITH (not 'comply to') • Capable OF (not 'capable to') SHORTCUT 3 - MOVEMENT PREPOSITIONS: • INTO = movement inside (walked into the room) • ONTO = movement on surface (climbed onto the roof) • Use TO for destination, FROM for source

6.Exam Traps

Common mistakes students make — avoid these

#1 - THE BIGGEST TRAP: Students confuse IN and AT for places. Remember: Use IN for cities/countries (in Mumbai, in India) but AT for specific locations (at the airport, at school). This confusion appears in 60% of preposition questions. OTHER COMMON ERRORS: • Writing 'on time' vs 'in time' - 'on time' means punctual, 'in time' means before deadline • Using 'from' instead of 'since' for time - use SINCE for point of time, FROM for place • Mixing up 'between' and 'among' - use BETWEEN for two items, AMONG for more than two The key to mastering prepositions is practice and memorizing fixed combinations.

Many prepositions don't follow logical rules - they must be learned through repetition.

Key Points to Remember

AT for specific times and points, ON for days and surfaces, IN for periods and enclosed spaces
SINCE shows starting point in time, FOR shows duration of time
BETWEEN is used for two items, AMONG is used for more than two items
Time Formula: AT (specific) → ON (days) → IN (periods)
Place Formula: AT (point) → ON (surface) → IN (space)
Different FROM, Consist OF, Comply WITH, Capable OF are fixed combinations
INTO shows movement inside, ONTO shows movement on surface
ON TIME means punctual, IN TIME means before the deadline
Use IN for cities/countries, AT for specific locations within them
Movement prepositions: TO (destination), FROM (source), THROUGH (passage)

Exam-Specific Tips

Different FROM is correct, never use 'different than' or 'different to'
Consist OF is the only correct form, never 'consist in' or 'consist with'
Comply WITH is correct, never use 'comply to' or 'comply of'
Capable OF doing something is correct, never 'capable to do'
Preposition questions appear 5-7 times per SSC CGL Tier-I paper
SINCE is used only with perfect tenses, never with simple past
BETWEEN requires 'and' to connect two items (between A and B)
AT NIGHT is correct but IN THE MORNING/EVENING are also correct

Practice MCQs

Prepositions — Practice Questions

12graded MCQs · easy to hard · full solution & trap analysis

All MCQs →

Practice 1easy

Identify the error in the sentence below: The committee has agreed (A) / to provide financial assistance (B) / for the underprivileged students (C) / in their locality. (D) / No error (E)

Practice 2easy

Identify the error in the sentence below: The manager insisted (A) / on the employees working (B) / according to the new guidelines (C) / during office hours. (D) / No error (E)

Practice 3easy

Identify the error in the sentence below: The students are looking forward (A) / to attending the annual conference (B) / which will be held (C) / at the convention centre next month. (D) / No error (E)

Practice 4easy

Identify the error in the sentence below: The report focuses (A) / on the challenges faced (B) / by the organisation (C) / with regard to environmental sustainability. (D) / No error (E)

Practice 5easy

Identify the error in the sentence below: The company is committed (A) / to improving its services (B) / in accordance with (C) / the latest industry standards. (D) / No error (E)

Practice 6medium

Identify the error in the sentence below: The committee has agreed (A) / to provide financial assistance (B) / for the flood victims (C) / No error (D)

Practice 7medium

Identify the error in the sentence below: The manager insisted (A) / on the employees attending (B) / the training session (C) / No error (D)

Practice 8medium

Identify the error in the sentence below: The report is based (A) / on the data collected (B) / from the survey conducted (C) / in last month (D)

Practice 9medium

Identify the error in the sentence below: The students are not interested (A) / in studying (B) / mathematics because they find it (C) / difficult to cope up with (D)

Practice 10medium

Identify the error in the sentence below: The organisation is committed (A) / to providing quality services (B) / to all its customers (C) / irrespective to their background (D)

Practice 11hard

The research team has been working on this project since five years, and they have made significant progress in understanding the underlying mechanisms of the disease.

Practice 12hard

The manager insisted on the employees adhering to the new protocols, and he was adamant about implementing stricter measures to ensure compliance with the company's standards.

60-Second Revision — Prepositions

Remember: AT-ON-IN formula for time (AT specific, ON days, IN periods)
Trap: IN for cities (in Delhi), AT for specific places (at Red Fort)
Formula: Different FROM, Consist OF, Comply WITH, Capable OF
Remember: SINCE for starting point, FOR for duration
Trap: BETWEEN (two items) vs AMONG (more than two items)
Remember: ON TIME = punctual, IN TIME = before deadline
Quick check: Movement INTO/ONTO vs static IN/ON

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