On leaving the shopping plaza, Kate was robbed . . . . . . . . purse. A. by her B. by hers C. of her D. of hers

The correct answer is: C. of her

The preposition “of” is used to indicate possession. In this case, Kate was robbed of her purse. This means that the robber took her purse away from her.

The other options are incorrect because they do not make sense in the context of the sentence.

• Option A, “by her,” would mean that Kate robbed herself. This is not possible.
• Option B, “by hers,” would mean that Kate was robbed by her own purse. This is also not possible.
• Option D, “of hers,” would mean that Kate was robbed of her own possession. This is the same as option C, but it is not necessary to use the preposition “of” twice in the same sentence.