Question

.............being fined, he was sentenced to a term of imprisonment;
a) Beside
b) Besides
c) Apart
d) Having

Answer 1

The correct option is b) Besides.

Besides being fined, he was sentenced to a term of imprisonment.


The reasons are given below:

Beside
 Meaning-- Next to; at the side of: 

Sentence-- I sit beside her in class.

Besides
 Meaning-- Also; as well as: 

Sentence-- We study other languages besides English.

Note the differing meanings of beside and besides. Beside is usually used with reference to a physical location.

 

Apart

Meaning—Not included in what you are talking about

Sentence—Victoria apart, not one of them seems suitable for the job

 

Having

Having + Past Participle structure is used to to emphasize that one action was before another.

Sentence – Having completed my homework, I went out to play.

Keeping the meanings and structural conventions in mind, we reach the conclusion that besides is the most appropriate option for the answer.

Answer 2

Besides being fined, he was sentenced to a term of imprisonment.

So, 'besides' is my word of choice.