The pot was then left _________ five minutes before the tea was poured into cups, and milk and sugar were added last.

The pot was then left _________ five minutes before the tea was poured into cups, and milk and sugar were added last.

• A. During
• B. For
• C. Over
• D. About

Answer: (B)

The main idea is how to express the duration of a state before something else happens. Here, the pot stays in place for a fixed amount of time before the tea is poured and milk and sugar are added. Using for shows that exact length of time the pot is left, which fits the sense of waiting a set five minutes before the next action. During would imply something else is happening inside that five minutes, which isn’t the intended meaning here. Over sounds less precise and is more about across a span, not the specific duration of the stay. About would soften the time to an estimate, but the sentence gives a precise five minutes, so for is the natural, accurate choice.

The main idea is how to express the duration of a state before something else happens. Here, the pot stays in place for a fixed amount of time before the tea is poured and milk and sugar are added. Using for shows that exact length of time the pot is left, which fits the sense of waiting a set five minutes before the next action. During would imply something else is happening inside that five minutes, which isn’t the intended meaning here. Over sounds less precise and is more about across a span, not the specific duration of the stay. About would soften the time to an estimate, but the sentence gives a precise five minutes, so for is the natural, accurate choice.