exam questions

[Joe]

I just went through a important test in my school days, but I'm not quite sure if I've got some of the questions right. Would you please check my answers? Thanks very much!

1. If you explained the situation to your solicitor, he D able to advice you much better than I can.
A. would be B. will have been C. was D. were

2. ___A__, Mr. Wells is scarcely in sympathy with the working class.
A. Although he is a socialist b. Even if he is a socialist
C. Being a socialist D. Since he is a socialist

3. __D_____ conscious of my moral obligations as a citizen.
A. I was and always will be B. I have to be and always will be
c. I had been and always will be D. I have been and always will be

4. That was not the first time he __C_ us. I think it's high time we ____ strong actions against him.
A. betrayed...take B. had betrayed...took
C. has betrayed...took D. has betrayed...take

5. Waht's the chance of __B___ a general election this year?
A. there being B. there to be C. there be D. there going to be

6. Children who stay aways from school do _C___ for different reasons.
A. them B. / C. it D. theirs

[Marylin]

[QUOTE=Joe]I just went through a important test in my school days, but I'm not quite sure if I've got some of the questions right. Would you please check my answers? Thanks very much!

1. If you explained the situation to your solicitor, he D able to advice you much better than I can.
A. would be

2. ___A__, Mr. Wells is scarcely in sympathy with the working class.
A. Although he is a socialist

3. __D_____ conscious of my moral obligations as a citizen.
A. I was and always will be

4. That was not the first time he __C_ us. I think it's high time we ____ strong actions against him.

C. has betrayed...took

5. Waht's the chance of __B___ a general election this year?
A. there being

6. Children who stay aways from school do _C___ for different reasons.
C. it

[Dany]

Hello Joe,

I would say, that your first sentence is wrong. It should be:
If you explained the situation to your solicitor, he would be able to advice you my answers.
(Conditional II)


Best regards,
Dany

[Dany]

Hello Marylin,

We have answered at the same time

Would you please explain to me, why you used in sentence 3 the simple past? Why doesn't Present Perfect work here?

Thanks a lot,
Dany

[Marylin]

Hello Marylin,

We have answered at the same time

Would you please explain to me, why you used in sentence 3 the simple past? Why doesn't Present Perfect work here?

Thanks a lot,
Dany

It just sounds better to me. It was always like that and it will always be like that. I feel you the Past tense gives you a very straightforward reference to the past. If you use the Future tense after that you don't need to worry about anything in between like Present Perfect. I don't know if I making any sense to you?

[Marylin]

Hello Marylin,

We have answered at the same time

Would you please explain to me, why you used in sentence 3 the simple past? Why doesn't Present Perfect work here?

Thanks a lot,
Dany

Dany, I think your option sounds good too. I think both are OK.

[Casiopea]

Here's a third opion.

1. If . . . would be. (Conditional)

2. Even if he is a socialist, . . . (Opposition)

3. I have been and always will be. . . (Continuum of time)

4. . . . betrayed...take (Past/Present fact)

5. . . . there being . . .

6. . . . it . . . (noun subsitution: stay away from school = it)

[ferose]

casiopea , may i know why it cannot be the answer "D" Pl. Explain

4. That was not the first time he __C_ us. I think it's high time we ____ strong actions against him.

[Casiopea]

4. That was not the first time he ______ us. I think it's high time we ______ strong actions against him.

A. betrayed...take B. had betrayed...took
C. has betrayed...took D. has betrayed...take

Ah, yes. That would work, too. At present, the simple past and the present perfect are merging in English, so as a native speaker, A. sounds more common, if not more natural to me.

Note: Have you eaten? / Did you eat?

[Joe]

Thanks for your help, everyone.
You know, the questions are from a national qualification exam, which is supposed to be very authoritative. What interests me is that even English speakers have different opinions as to what the right answers should be. That's language, maybe you just can't tell what is right or wrong sometimes.