Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank from the given alternatives:
I have kept the books ______ the table in the drawing-room.
a. in
b. on
c. over
d. above

Hint: The student should go through the options carefully after reading the sentence to understand what the sentence implies. This will help the student in finding the right answer for the given question.

Complete answer: In this question, it will be helpful for the student to recall the concept of prepositions. A preposition is a function word that combines with a noun or pronoun or noun phrase to form a prepositional phrase that can have an adverbial or adjectival relation to some other word.
Let us analyze the options given to us in this question -
Option (a.), 'in', refers to ‘to or toward the inside of’.
Therefore, option (a.) is incorrect as the books cannot be inside of the table.
Option (b.), ‘on', refers to ‘positioned at the upper surface of, touching from above’.
Therefore, option (b.) is correct as it indicates that the books were kept at the surface of the table.
Option (c.), ‘over', refers to ‘In such a way as to cover’.
Therefore, option (c.) is incorrect as the sentence does not indicate that the books covered the whole table.
Option (d.), ‘above', refers to ‘physically over; on top of; worn on top of, as clothing’.
Therefore, option (d.) is incorrect as it does not indicate that the books simple touched the upper surface of the table. There is no comparison indicated in the sentence.
Therefore, option b is correct.

Note: Prepositions must always be followed by a noun or pronoun. That noun is called the object of the preposition. Note that a verb can't be the object of a preposition.