Institution: Non Government Teachers Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA) Exam: ১৮ তম শিক্ষক নিবন্ধন পরীক্ষা (স্কুল পর্যায়) (15-03-2024) || 2024
Topic: Right Form of Verb, Subject: English Grammar (ইংরেজি গ্রামার)

Best Answer Explained in Below-:

The sentence "The old lady cannot help. ________a cup of tea." requires a gerund (the -ing form of a verb) to complete it in a grammatically correct manner. Let's examine the provided options:

A) "to drink" - This phrase uses the infinitive form, which would be inappropriate in this context because "cannot help" is typically followed by a gerund.

B) "take" - This is also in the base form and does not fit with "cannot help," which implies an ongoing action rather than simply stating the action.

C) "to taking" - This combines the infinitive "to" with a gerund, which creates an awkward construction. "Cannot help to taking" is not standard English.

D) "having" - This is the correct choice, as it is the gerund form of "have". The phrase "cannot help having" suggests that the old lady is unable to control or avoid the action of having a cup of tea. This structure conveys a sense of inevitability and fits the meaning intended in the sentence.

Therefore, option D is not only grammatically correct but also appropriately conveys the meaning that the old lady feels compelled to have the cup of tea.