Free B1 Preliminary Grammar Questions and Answers 1 — Questions and Answers

Question 1: Which of these statements is factually incorrect?

The boys slept heavily.
We worked hardly. (Correct answer)
They ran quickly.

Correct answer: We worked hardly.

The statement 'We worked hardly' is factually incorrect because 'hardly' is an adverb meaning 'scarcely' or 'barely,' not 'with great effort.' To express that someone worked with great effort, the adverb 'hard' should be used (e.g., 'We worked hard'). Therefore, 'We worked hardly' implies they barely worked, which is likely not the intended meaning.

Question 2: Which verb may be inserted in the blank? That girl ______ very strangely.

looks
seems
walks (Correct answer)

Correct answer: walks

The blank requires a verb that can be modified by the adverb 'strangely,' which describes *how* an action is performed. 'Walks' is an action verb, so 'walks strangely' correctly describes the manner of her walking. 'Looks' and 'seems' are linking verbs that typically connect the subject to an adjective (e.g., 'looks strange,' 'seems strange'), not an adverb describing an action.

Question 3: Which of the following sentence is correct?

My uncle tells well stories.
My uncle tells stories well. (Correct answer)
My uncle well tells stories.

Correct answer: My uncle tells stories well.

The correct sentence is 'My uncle tells stories well.' In English, adverbs of manner like 'well' typically come after the verb they modify or after the direct object if there is one. Here, 'well' modifies the verb 'tells' and describes *how* he tells stories, making the placement after the object 'stories' the standard and most natural word order.

Question 4: Which word may be inserted in the blank? Mr. Townsend always works _____.

faslty
lately
carefully (Correct answer)

Correct answer: carefully

The blank requires an adverb to describe *how* Mr. Townsend works. 'Carefully' is an adverb meaning 'with great attention or caution,' which accurately describes a manner of working. 'Faslty' is not a real English word, and 'lately' is an adverb of time meaning 'recently,' which does not describe the manner of working.

Question 5: Which word may be inserted in the blank? We arrived at the airport too _____.

late (Correct answer)
latterly
lately

Correct answer: late

The word 'late' can function as both an adjective and an adverb. In this sentence, it acts as an adverb modifying 'arrived,' indicating that the arrival occurred past the expected time. 'Latterly' means 'recently' or 'in the latter part of a period,' and 'lately' also means 'recently,' neither of which fits the context of being past the scheduled time.

Question 6: Which of these statements is factually incorrect?

Politely Ann spoke to her teacher. (Correct answer)
Ann spoke politely to her teacher.
Ann politely spoke to her teacher.

Correct answer: Politely Ann spoke to her teacher.

The statement 'Politely Ann spoke to her teacher' is factually incorrect due to awkward adverb placement. While adverbs of manner can sometimes appear at the beginning of a sentence for emphasis, placing 'Politely' directly before the subject 'Ann' in this structure is generally considered less natural or grammatically incorrect in standard English. The more common and correct placements are after the verb ('Ann spoke politely') or between the subject and the verb ('Ann politely spoke').

Question 7: Finish the sentence. We greeted our friends _____.

happily (Correct answer)
happyly
happy

Correct answer: happily

The blank requires an adverb to describe *how* we greeted our friends. 'Happily' is the correct adverbial form of the adjective 'happy,' formed by adding '-ly' to describe the manner of the action. 'Happyly' is not a correct English word, and 'happy' is an adjective, which cannot modify a verb.

Question 8: Finish the sentence. This music sounds _____!

greatly
greatily
great (Correct answer)

Correct answer: great

In the sentence 'This music sounds _____!', 'sounds' is a linking verb. Linking verbs connect the subject ('This music') to a word that describes or renames the subject, which should be an adjective. Therefore, 'great' is the correct adjective to describe the quality of the music, whereas 'greatly' is an adverb and would be incorrect here.

Question 9: Which of these statements is factually incorrect?

I lonely walked around the park. (Correct answer)
She kindly gave me a birthday present.
We arrived at the school early.

Correct answer: I lonely walked around the park.

The word 'lonely' is an adjective, used to describe a noun (e.g., 'a lonely person'). To describe how someone walked, an adverb is required. The correct adverb form is 'lonelily,' so the sentence should be 'I lonelily walked around the park' or, more naturally, 'I walked around the park alone.'

Question 10: Which of these statements is factually incorrect?

She talks very friendly to the younger children. (Correct answer)
Jay energetically ran up the stairs.
Your son runs very fast.

Correct answer: She talks very friendly to the younger children.

'Friendly' is an adjective, used to describe a noun (e.g., 'a friendly person'). To describe how someone talks, an adverb is needed. The correct adverbial phrase is 'in a friendly way,' making the sentence 'She talks in a very friendly way to the younger children' or, less commonly, 'She talks very friendlily to the younger children.'

Question 11: Finish the sentence. Do ____ of you have any money I can borrow?

neither
both
either (Correct answer)

Correct answer: either

'Either' is used in questions or negative statements when referring to one of two or more possibilities. In this context, the speaker is asking if *any* individual among the listeners has money, implying a choice between multiple people. 'Neither' is used in negative statements for two options, and 'both' refers to two people or things together.

Question 12: Which of the following sentence is correct?

Neither of they live here.
Neither of them lives here. (Correct answer)
Neither Aiza or Marco live here.

Correct answer: Neither of them lives here.

When 'neither of' is followed by a pronoun, the pronoun must be in the objective case (e.g., 'them,' not 'they'). Additionally, 'neither' acts as a singular subject, so the verb must be singular ('lives,' not 'live'). Option C is incorrect because 'neither' pairs with 'nor,' not 'or,' in correlative conjunctions.

Question 13: Which of these statements is factually incorrect?

Both of the boys like hamburgers.
Both boys like hamburgers.
Both of boys like hamburgers. (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Both of boys like hamburgers.

When 'both' is followed by 'of' and then a plural noun, a definite article ('the') is required before the noun, as in 'Both of the boys.' Alternatively, 'both' can directly precede the plural noun without 'of' or 'the,' as in 'Both boys.' The phrase 'Both of boys' is grammatically incorrect because it lacks the necessary article.

Question 14: Which word should go in the blank? Neither my uncle ___ my aunt could come to the party.

and
or
nor (Correct answer)

Correct answer: nor

The correlative conjunction 'neither' is always paired with 'nor.' This construction is used to indicate that two or more things are not true or applicable. Therefore, 'Neither my uncle nor my aunt' correctly conveys that both individuals were unable to attend the party.

Question 15: Which word makes the sentence complete? Neither of ___ likes rap music.

them (Correct answer)
they
then

Correct answer: them

When 'neither of' is followed by a pronoun, the pronoun must be in the objective case. 'Them' is the objective pronoun, while 'they' is the subjective pronoun. 'Then' is an adverb of time. Therefore, 'Neither of them' is the correct grammatical construction.

Question 16: Which word makes the sentence complete? ____ boy brought a coat.

Either
Neither (Correct answer)
Both

Correct answer: Neither

The sentence implies that *not one* of the boys brought a coat, suggesting a negative outcome for two individuals. 'Neither' means 'not one of two,' which fits this context perfectly. 'Either' would imply one or the other, and 'Both' would mean both boys brought a coat, which contradicts the implied meaning.

Free B1 Preliminary Grammar Questions and Answers 1

Which of these statements is factually incorrect?