What~ ! vs. How~ !: what's the difference?

[forinfo]

Hello,

I was working on some grammar exercises among which there is the following exercise.

Ex. This is a very interesting story. (Change the sentence to an exclamation.)

I wrote "How interesting this story is!" for an answer, but
the answer key is "What an interesting story this is!"

Would anyone tell me the difference in meaning between these two sentences and
why the latter is the answer for this exercise?

[emsr2d2]

Hello,

I was working on some grammar exercises among which there is the following exercise.

Ex. This is a very interesting story. (Change the sentence to an exclamation.)

I wrote "How interesting this story is!" for an answer, but
the answer key is "What an interesting story this is!"

Would anyone tell me the difference in meaning between these two sentences and
why the latter is the answer for this exercise?

Your answer is actually acceptable but it sounds quite old-fashioned. I would expect to hear such an utterance in something like a Jane Austen novel!

"What a..." is a much more up-to-date exclamation.

What a beautiful day [it is]!
What a gorgeous baby [you have]!
What a stupid grammar exercise!

[forinfo]

I appreciate your reply, and your last example made me laugh.