Just after ...1..... the aircraft gave a shudder and coughed.

Analyze the question The sentence needs a word or phrase that fits "Just after ____ the aircraft gave a shudder and coughed." We are looking for the term that describes the moment an aircraft leaves the ground and begins its flight.

Explain the concept

• Take off (verb phrase, "take off", or noun "takeoff") is the specific aviation term for the moment an aircraft leaves the runway and goes airborne.
• Departure refers to the general act of leaving a place, and it usually needs "the" or "its" before it (e.g., "just after departure" works in some contexts, but it is less precise here).
• Leaving is too general and needs an object (leaving the airport).
• Flying describes the ongoing activity, not a specific starting moment.

Show the solution "Just after take off, the aircraft gave a shudder and coughed."

• The phrase "just after" points to a specific moment in time, and the moment right after an aircraft leaves the ground is "take off".
• "Departure" is possible in everyday English ("just after departure"), but in this context the question is testing the standard aviation expression for the aircraft leaving the ground.
• "Leaving" and "flying" do not fit naturally without an object or additional words.

Identify the answer The correct option is B. take off.

Tip When a question describes something happening to an aircraft at the start of a flight, think of the standard pairing: take off (start) and landing (end). In "just after..." questions, choose the word that names a specific event in time rather than a general activity.