Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award was conferred ______ Mary Kom, a six-time world champion in boxing, recently in a ceremony ______ the Rashtrapati Bhawan (the President's official residence) in New Delhi.
A. with, at B. on, in C. on, at D. to, at
GATE 2020 · General Aptitude · Most Appropriate Word · medium
Answer: C. on, at
Determine the preposition for 'conferred': The verb 'confer' follows the fixed collocation 'confer something ON someone'. 'The award was conferred on Mary Kom'. Options using 'with' (A) and 'to' (D) are incorrect. Remaining: B (on, in) and C (on, at).
Determine the preposition for the ceremony location: Rashtrapati Bhawan is a specific named building (a venue/address). English uses 'at' for specific venues and addresses: 'at Rashtrapati Bhawan'. 'In' would be used for a city or country (e.g., 'in New Delhi'). Therefore the second blank is 'at', not 'in'. Option B (on, in) is eliminated.
Select the answer: First blank = 'on' (from step 1), second blank = 'at' (from step 2). This matches option C: on, at.