At no point during the trial _____ his composure.

📌 Explanation:

This sentence begins with a negative expression → “At no point”.

When a sentence starts with a negative or restrictive phrase, we use inversion (i.e., auxiliary verb comes before the subject).

👉 Structure:
Negative phrase + auxiliary verb + subject + main verb

So:

• Normal: He did not lose his composure at any point.

• Inverted: At no point did he lose his composure.

❌ Why other options are wrong:

1. he lost ❌
   → No inversion used (incorrect after negative phrase)

2. had he lost ❌
   → Wrong tense (past perfect not needed here)

3. lost he ❌
   → Incorrect structure (not grammatical in modern English)

💡 Extra Facts (Important for Exams):

1. Common Negative Starters that require inversion:

• Never

• Rarely

• Seldom

• Hardly

• Scarcely

• Little

• Not only

• At no time / At no point

👉 Example:

• Never have I seen such a beautiful place.

• Rarely does he speak in class.

2. Rule Shortcut:

👉 If sentence starts with negative/limiting word → use helping verb before subject

3. Similar Example:

• At no time did she agree to the proposal.

• Hardly had I reached when it started raining.