take part in vs. attend

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

The VIPs from 21 countries will ______ the APEC in Shanghai this autumn.
A. hould B. take part in C. join D. attend

Please give me some detailed explanation why the correct answer is D.
Thanks a lot.

2

Well, all are wrong really, because it should read ‘the APEC meeting/conference’. If so, B, C and D are all possible, with D the best collocation.

This is a really bad test you are posting from. Vivien.

3

Thank you, Mister Micawber. I don’t think it’s a good test, either.