Raman is confident of speaking English _______ six months as he has been practising regularly _______ the last three weeks. A. during, for B. for, since C. for, in D. within, for

GATE 2020 · General Aptitude · English Grammar · medium

Answer: Option D: within, for

1. Analyse the first blank: Raman is confident he will achieve fluency 'within six months' - meaning before six months expire. 'Within' correctly expresses a time boundary/deadline. 'During' would be unusual here; 'for' implies ongoing state rather than a deadline.
2. Analyse the second blank: He has been practising regularly 'for the last three weeks' - a duration. 'For' is correct. 'Since' would require a point in time ('since Monday'), not a duration ('since three weeks' is wrong). 'In' does not fit a continuous action.