Which is correct? (The whistle signaled the end of the first half. The match...)

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

Hi, I have some trouble with these multiple choice questions:

1/ Which one would you like to have?
________ of them is OK, I think.

A. Both

B. None

C. Neither

D. Either

=> The answer for this is D, but I wonder why C is not right here…

2/ The whistle signaled the end of the first half. The match will continue after half-
time and now AC Milan ___________ Juventus by 2 goals to nil.

A. led

B. is leading

C. has led

D. leads
=> The answer for this is B, but why B and not C? When we say AC Milan “is leading”, we don’t really mean it “is leading”, do we? I mean: “lead” here is an abstract action, not a concrete action, and so, is it really ok if we use it in continuous tense? Besides, I see no problem with the option C here

2

.
1/ C is inappropriate because it does not respond normally to the question.

2/ B is fine; the progressive is fine for current activity,and ‘lead’ is quite concrete-- it appears on the scoreboard in very big numerals. C is no good because it indicates a past condition, not the present. D is possible, however, especially in sports English.
.

3

Thanks for your help, Mister Micawber. Here’s my feedback:
QUOTE:
1/ C is inappropriate because it does not respond normally to the question.

=> Why doesn’t C respond normally to the question? When somebody asks:“which one would you like to have?”, if we would like to have both, we can say “both of them are ok”. If we can take either of them, we say “either of them is ok”, but if we don’t like either of them, then what should we say if not “neither of them is ok”?

QUOTE:
2/ B is fine; the progressive is fine for current activity,and ‘lead’ is quite concrete-- it appears on the scoreboard in very big numerals. C is no good because it indicates a past condition, not the present. D is possible, however, especially in sports English.

=> I think the present perfect tense can be used yo indicate an action that happened in the past and still go on at the moment of speaking. And so, in this case, Juventus IS NOT winning over AC Milan right at the moment of speaking, is it? I mean: it has won 2 goals, and now of course it is still leading, but then why shouldn’t we use the present perfect to indicate that?

Nessie