Question

There are three underlined words below, followed by their usages. Determine the sentences in which the use of words is correct or appropriate: Pray, Prey, Prying.

A. If you pray with faith, they say, it will be answered.
B. He has fallen a prey to cheats.
C. Prying into the affairs of others is bad.

• A. A and B
• B. A and C
• C. A, B and C
• D. B and C

Hint:

Pray means to worship or ask; prey means a victim, as in fall prey to; prying means nosy interference. Check each sentence against its own meaning.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

This question tests three sound-alike words that trip up most readers: pray, prey and prying. To answer it, check whether each sentence uses its word in the meaning that word actually carries.

1. Statement A (pray): "Pray" means to address God or make a heartfelt request. The sentence "If you pray with faith, they say, it will be answered" uses the word in exactly that religious sense, so it is correct.
2. Statement B (prey): "Prey" is the noun for a victim, and "fall prey to" is a set idiom for becoming a victim of something. "He has fallen a prey to cheats" matches this idiom, so it is correct.
3. Statement C (prying): "Prying" describes nosy interference in someone else's business. "Prying into the affairs of others is bad" fits this meaning, so it is correct.

Since every one of the three sentences, A, B and C, uses its word correctly, the combination that matches is "A, B and C," which is option (C).

Let's summarize:

• Pray means to worship or request; prey means a victim, as in "fall prey to"; prying means being nosy.
• None of the three sentences swap these meanings, so no statement is wrong.

The correct answer is option (C), A, B and C.