He is ____ solving complex puzzles.

He is ____ solving complex puzzles.

• A. adept in/at
• B. familiar with
• C. compensate for
• D. puzzled/confused/perplexed by

Answer: (A)

Being skilled at doing something is shown by pairing the adjective with the preposition at the activity. Adept means highly skilled, and the common collocation is adept at something, so the natural fit is “adept at solving complex puzzles.” This keeps the focus on ability in the act of solving. The other options don’t convey the same precise meaning. Familiar with emphasizes knowledge or experience, not necessarily high skill at the activity. Compensate for is a verb phrase that would’t grammatically describe a quality in this structure. Puzzled or perplexed by would describe a reaction to puzzles, not the ability to solve them, and using the gerund after that preposition would be awkward.

Being skilled at doing something is shown by pairing the adjective with the preposition at the activity. Adept means highly skilled, and the common collocation is adept at something, so the natural fit is “adept at solving complex puzzles.” This keeps the focus on ability in the act of solving.

The other options don’t convey the same precise meaning. Familiar with emphasizes knowledge or experience, not necessarily high skill at the activity. Compensate for is a verb phrase that would’t grammatically describe a quality in this structure. Puzzled or perplexed by would describe a reaction to puzzles, not the ability to solve them, and using the gerund after that preposition would be awkward.