Multiple choice questions: What's wrong? vs. What's matter?

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi,
Please have a look at these multiple choice sentences:

  1. I’ve passed the driving test.
    a. Did you really?
    b. Sorry to hear that
    c. congratulations!
    d. It’s very good of you

  2. Ahchoo!
    a. What’s that?
    b. Yes?
    c. God bless you
    d. Bless you

=> In these two sentences, I think both bold options can be correct, so I just don’t know which to choose. In the first sentence, may be we can choose c because it seems to be the immediate response in such a case, and same goes for the second sentence (option d). Uhm… what do you think?

  1. …, Andy?
    a. What’s that?
    b. What’s this?
    c. What’s wrong?
    d. What’s matter?

=> For this, I know b is correct, but I just want to ask if a can ever be used.

  1. A: What do you do?
    B: I’m a computer programmer.
    A: …
    a. Oh, that’s nice
    b. Oh, that sounds technical
    c. You must be very rich
    d. I would like it very much
    => For this, I think all a, b and c are possible. However I suppose a is the correct option because it sounds more polite. What do you think?
2

I’d say only ‘c’ is correct for (1) and ‘d’ for (2). As for (3), my choice would depend on what ‘…’ is but since we have no info of that, it seems to me all the choices are possible in oral English but ‘c’ sounds most likely. I agree with you on (4) and I would see ‘a’ is the most natural answer.

3

Hi Nessie

For (1), I’d choose c.

For (2), d would probably be the most common response, but people also use c. In my neck of the woods, we also say “Gesundheit”. :smiley:

Question (3) doesn’t seem particularly well-conceived to me. Possibly the test writer wants you to choose an expression that is used when you didn’t hear or understand something that someone has just asked you. For that purpose, I think only a could and would be used. People will also say “What was that?” Informally, probably the most common response would be simply “What?”

For (4), I’d say the test writer wants you to choose a, but I don’t think that response can actually be seen as the typical response, or even as one of the most typical responses. It seems to me that “Oh, that is/sounds interesting” would be just as likely a response (if not much more likely).
.

4

Thanks a lot, Amy. I got it now :slight_smile: