tell the difference

Hello everyone , I’m Pluto and from VN . In my country , if someone wants to study in a university , he/she has to make a high score in the yearly English test , which has 80 questions focusing on grammar ( multiple choice ) . In lately test ( 2010) , there are some questions which make me confused . Please help me the answer and explain why you choose it

1) They couldn’t climb up the mountain because of the storm

A. The storm made them impossible to climb up the mountain
B. The storm made it not capable of climbing up the mountain
C. The storm discouraged them from climbing up the mountain
D. Their climbing up the mountain was unable due to the storm

2) Since he failed his exam , he had to ____ for it agian

A. take
B. make
C. sit
D. pass
—> The key being C (sit )

3) _____ broken several world records in swimming

A. She is said that she has
B. People say she had
C. It is said to have
D. She is said to have

4) _____ I might , I couldn’t open the door

A. However hard
B. As try
C. Try as
D. No matter

5) ____ with the size of the whole earth , the highest mountains do not seem high at all
A. When compared
B. Compare them
C. If you compare
D. A comparison

6) ____ that it might be easier to prepare a better map of the moon than of the earth

A. To say
B. They say
C. The saying
D. It is said

Hi,

In #1 I think all the given answers are wrong. (maybe “C” but I think only humans can discourage you from doing something)
#2 - C
#3 - D
#4 - C (try as I may - however hard I try)
#5 - A
#6 - B

I think that none of these options are correct. I would say “The storm made it impossible for them to climb (up) the mountain.”

Hi,

  1. C, 2) C, 3) D, 4) C, 5) A, 6) B.

I think negative meteorological phenomena such as a storm can discourage/prevent someone from doing something, just as well as humans can.

:slight_smile:

Hello Pluto,

Welcome to the forums.

I’m afraid this is not going to be good news for you, but someone should make whoever creates your English tests take a couple of English tests themselves! These questions are confusing because the grammar used in them is appalling.
Unfortunately for you, I don’t suppose there is any appeal process which will sort this mess out for you, and it sounds as if you are going to hope that your guesses match the key.

Let’s take them one by one:

[color=darkred]1) They couldn’t climb up the mountain because of the storm

A. The storm made them impossible to climb up the mountain
B. The storm made it not capable of climbing up the mountain
C. The storm discouraged them from climbing up the mountain
D. Their climbing up the mountain was unable due to the storm

The only grammatically correct sentence there is C.
However, this is not factually correct. Poor weather might leave them feeling discouraged but to be discouraged isn’t the same as to be prevented.
‘The storm made it impossible to climb up the mountain.’ would be correct.
‘The storm meant that they were not capable of climbing up the mountain.’ would be correct.
‘The storm prevented them from climbing up the mountain.’ would be correct.
‘They were unable to climb up the mountain due to the storm.’ would be correct.

[color=darkred]2) Since he failed his exam , he had to ____ for it agian

A. take
B. make
C. sit
D. pass
—> The key being C (sit )
The word ‘for’ makes that sentence impossible to get right.
‘He had to take it again.’ and ‘He had to sit it again.’ would both be perfectly correct answers if ‘for’ wasn’t there.

[color=darkred]3) _____ broken several world records in swimming

A. She is said that she has
B. People say she had
C. It is said to have
D. She is said to have

Without any additional context both B and D would have to be accepted as correct.

[color=darkred]4) _____ I might , I couldn’t open the door

A. However hard
B. As try
C. Try as
D. No matter

This one, at least, makes sense. The answer is C.
Try as I might, I couldn’t open the door.
“Try as I might” is equivalent to “no matter how hard I try/tried”

[color=darkred]5) ____ with the size of the whole earth , the highest mountains do not seem high at all
A. When compared
B. Compare them
C. If you compare
D. A comparison

‘A’ When compared… is the only possible answer, though it is a very strange comparison as they are not like for like.

[color=darkred]6) ____ that it might be easier to prepare a better map of the moon than of the earth

A. To say
B. They say
C. The saying
D. It is said

I suspect that D is the intended answer, however as the question stands B is also correct.

I’m very sorry, Pluto, but these are really poor test questions.

Hello Bev,

I just checked with the dictionary, and here is what I found:
idioms.thefreedictionary.com/sit+for+an+exam

Maybe it’s a phrase peculiar to Americans?

I am familiar with it. It probably is chiefly American. Can’t say I care for it. I like what they say in Spanish. You suffer an exam. :slight_smile:

Hello Mordant,

I take it, of the two you favor “sit an exam”, right?

You can say that again!

Neither. I’m partial to “take.” :slight_smile:

My preference would also be ‘take an exam’.

I stand corrected (as it were) in the case of ‘sit for it again’, but my defense is that I haven’t heard it in the UK. I would be happy with ‘he had to sit it again’.

Hello B,

Have you heard the phrase “go in for something” used in the UK?


oxfordadvancedlearnersdictio … tionary/go
go in for something
(British English) to take an exam or enter a competition

  • She’s going in for the Cambridge First Certificate.

Yes, and although it could be used here I wouldn’t be keen on it in the example under discussion.

Since he failed his exam, he had to go in for it again.
A similar alternative, often used, would be:
Since he failed his exam, he had to put in for it again. - In this case, it is equivalent to ‘he had to apply for it again/ he had to re-apply.’