We reached the station late, and _______ missed the train. A. near B. nearly C. utterly D. mostly

GATE 2023 · General Aptitude · Most Appropriate Word · medium

Answer: The correct answer is B. nearly — 'We reached the station late, and nearly missed the train' conveys the near-miss scenario correctly.

1. Determine grammatical class needed: The blank modifies the verb 'missed' — an adverb is required. 'Near' is an adjective/preposition in standard usage; it cannot modify a verb here. This eliminates option A.
2. Check semantic meaning of remaining options: 'Utterly missed' = completely failed to catch the train (negative extreme). 'Mostly missed' = largely missed. Both imply they did NOT board the train. 'Nearly missed' = came very close to missing but still caught it — the intended meaning.