I am very puzzled ____ this Use of English question.

I am very puzzled ____ this Use of English question.

• A. By
• B. At
• C. About
• D. With

Answer: (A)

When you’re puzzled by something, the preposition marks the source of the confusion—the thing that’s causing the puzzlement. With this sentence, the source is the Use of English question itself, so the natural choice is to say you’re puzzled by it. Puzzled by this Use of English question is the most natural, because “by” points to the thing that’s causing the feeling. The other options sound less idiomatic in this context: “puzzled at” isn’t the usual way to express the source of confusion, “puzzled about” tends to shift the focus to the topic itself rather than what’s causing the confusion, and “puzzled with” isn’t standard for describing confusion caused by something.

When you’re puzzled by something, the preposition marks the source of the confusion—the thing that’s causing the puzzlement. With this sentence, the source is the Use of English question itself, so the natural choice is to say you’re puzzled by it.

Puzzled by this Use of English question is the most natural, because “by” points to the thing that’s causing the feeling. The other options sound less idiomatic in this context: “puzzled at” isn’t the usual way to express the source of confusion, “puzzled about” tends to shift the focus to the topic itself rather than what’s causing the confusion, and “puzzled with” isn’t standard for describing confusion caused by something.