High School

Test 5
Read. Choose and underline the correct word.

1. A number of us is /are worried about it.
2. I feel the least / less optimistic about the future than I did a year ago.
3. There were some silver skinned salmon / salmons on the dish.
4. What / Which party do you think will win the election?
5. He's got a long beard / the long beard.
6. I have much / lots of difficulty writing.
7. What kind of juice is that? Unsweetened one / Unsweetened.
8. I cut me/cut myself shaving this morning.
9. No / Not any cigarette is completely harmless.
10. I've eaten too many / too much today.
11. Lake Superior / The Lake Superior is the biggest freshwater lake in the world.
12. Do you like mint tea / mints tea?
13. Money is a mean / means to become rich.
14. She's looking for ---- / the work but at the moment she doesn't have any hope of getting a / the job.
15. The maths test was a great challenge. It took me up / over an hour to finish.

Answer :

Let's go through each sentence and choose the correct word, providing explanations for each choice:

  1. A number of us are worried about it.

    • Here, "are" is correct because "a number of" typically takes a plural verb since it refers to more than one person or thing.

  2. I feel less optimistic about the future than I did a year ago.

    • "Less" is the correct choice as it is used for comparisons when there are not more than two choices involved. "Least" is the superlative form and is used when comparing three or more items.

  3. There were some silver skinned salmon on the dish.

    • "Salmon" is both the singular and plural form of the noun, so "salmons" would be incorrect.

  4. Which party do you think will win the election?

    • "Which" is used when there is a choice between a certain number of items or options, usually when the choices are known.

  5. He's got a long beard.

    • Using "a" is correct here because we are talking about one of possibly many beards. "The" would imply the one and only specific beard, which isn't the case here.

  6. I have much difficulty writing.

    • Both "much" and "lots of" can be correct, but "much" is more formal in written language and is often used with negative verbs.

  7. What kind of juice is that? Unsweetened.

    • Just "Unsweetened" is correct here as it is the adjective describing the juice. "Unsweetened one" is redundant.

  8. I cut myself shaving this morning.

    • "Myself" is reflexive here, meaning that the subject and the object are the same person.

  9. No cigarette is completely harmless.

    • "No" is suitable here, as it indicates that there isn't a single cigarette that is harmless.

  10. I've eaten too much today.

    • "Too much" is correct when talking about an uncountable amount of food or drink.

  11. Lake Superior is the biggest freshwater lake in the world.

    • The correct form is "Lake Superior" as proper nouns do not typically require "the" unless part of the customary name.

  12. Do you like mint tea?

    • "Mint tea" is correct, as "mints tea" is not a standard expression and doesn't make sense.

  13. Money is a means to become rich.

    • "Means" is the correct word here, as it refers to a way or method of achieving something.

  14. She's looking for work but at the moment she doesn't have any hope of getting a job.

    • "Work" is an uncountable noun typically used when talking about employment in general. "A job" refers to a specific position.

  15. The maths test was a great challenge. It took me over an hour to finish.

    • "Over" is correct here as it indicates more than a certain amount of time.

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