Fill in the blanks with appropriate words:

She speaks as if she knew everything.

I don't feel like attending the party.

The correct word to fill in the blank is "despite". "Despite" is a preposition that means "without being affected by" or "in spite of". It is used to show a contrast or concession, indicating that something happens or is true even though something else (which might normally prevent it) is also true.

Grammatically, "despite" is followed by a noun, a pronoun, or a gerund (the -ing form of a verb). It is never followed by a clause. For example:

    
• Despite the heavy traffic, we arrived on time. (followed by a noun phrase)
    
• Despite being tired, she continued working. (followed by a gerund)

In the given sentence, "heavy rain" is a noun phrase, so "despite" correctly introduces the contrasting circumstance. The sentence implies that his intention to go outside was not hindered by the heavy rain.

The sentence requires a verb in the passive voice because the subject "he" is the recipient of the action "murder." The structure "It seems that he..." implies a current impression about a past event. Therefore, a past tense passive form is appropriate.

    
• was murdered: This is the simple past passive voice, indicating that the action of murder happened in the past and is now a completed event.
    
• has been murdered: This is the present perfect passive voice, which could also be used here. It implies the murder happened in the past, but its effect or relevance continues up to the present moment, which aligns with the "It seems" structure.

Both "was murdered" and "has been murdered" are grammatically correct and contextually appropriate. "Was murdered" is a common and direct fit for expressing a past event that is currently being observed or speculated upon.

The correct preposition to fill the blank is "in".

Prepositions of place like "in", "on", and "at" are used to indicate location. When referring to a large area like a city, country, or continent, "in" is typically used. For example:

    
• Metro Rail will solve the traffic jam in Dhaka city.
    
• I live in Bangladesh.
    
• She works in London.

"On" is used for surfaces or specific streets (e.g., on the table, on Mirpur Road), and "at" is used for specific points or addresses (e.g., at the bus stop, at 123 Main Street).