Select the correct pair of prepositions to fill in the blanks in the following sentence:

I didn't want to buy anything ______ the yellow lampshade, but I didn't have enough cash and the store manager wouldn't let me pay for it. ______ a cheque.

Option 1 -> "from" doesn't convey the meaning of exclusion needed in the first blank, and "in a cheque" is grammatically incorrect for payment method.

Option 2 -> "with" in the first blank would incorrectly suggest accompaniment rather than exclusion, making the sentence illogical.

Option 3 -> "besides" means "in addition to," which conveys the opposite meaning (wanting more items rather than only one item), and "from a cheque" is not the correct prepositional phrase for payment methods.

Option 4 -> "except" correctly indicates that the lampshade was the only item wanted (exclusion of all other items), and "with a cheque" is the proper prepositional phrase for describing a payment method.

Hence, Option 4: except, with -> The sentence means the person wanted to buy only the yellow lampshade (nothing else except it), but couldn't pay using a cheque. "Except" shows exclusion and "with" is used for payment instruments. -> correct