• S
    SwaseekhGATE Preparation
General
  • Dashboard
  • Syllabus
  • Questions
  • Aptitude
  • Mock Tests
  • TCS NQT 2026
Account
  • Pricing
  • Contact
  1. GATE CS
  2. PYQs
  3. General Aptitude

The movie was funny and I __________. A. could help laughing B. couldn't help laughed C. couldn't help laughing D. could helped laughed

GATE 2022 · General Aptitude · Most Appropriate Word · medium

Answer: C. couldn't help laughing

  1. Identify the idiom pattern: The standard English idiom is 'cannot/could not help + gerund (verb-ing)' meaning 'to be unable to stop or control an action'. The gerund form is mandatory after 'help' in this construction.
  2. Apply context: the movie was funny: Since the movie was funny, the speaker was overcome by laughter and could NOT stop. This requires the negative form 'couldn't help laughing'. Option A ('could help laughing') would mean the speaker was able to stop laughing — wrong meaning given the context.
  3. Check verb form in each option: B: 'couldn't help laughed' — wrong; 'laughed' (past tense/participle) cannot follow 'help' in this idiom. D: 'could helped laughed' — doubly wrong; 'could helped' is not a valid modal phrase. C: 'couldn't help laughing' — correct idiom with correct gerund form.