Need advice on answering Qs from a comprehension passage,thx

#1 08-Feb-2004, 09:57

Quoted from a passage in a comprehension:

When someone calls a person "a chameleon", he means that person is very good at disguising and quick with his actions.
There are about ninety kinds of chameleons and they vary in length from four to sixty centimetres.

Q1: Will you trust someone who is often called "a chameleon" by others? Why?

When a question contains the word "someone", how should I answer it?
Please correct if I am wrong, thanks teachers! ^o^

A1: No, because they are ( should I use "they are" or sth else?) very good at disguising and quick with his actions.

A2:No, I will not trust someone who is often called "a chameleon" by others because they are very good at disguising.

A3: No, I will not because a chameleon is very good at disguising, so maybe the one who is often called "a chameleon" will also disguise themselves and often tell lies. ( Please correct this answer if there's any mistakes, thanks)

Q2: How long can a chameleon be?

A1: It can be 4 to 60 cm long.
A2: It can be from 4 to 60 cm in length.
A3: It can be 60 cm long.

(Please correct me if any of the above answers are not correct, teachers! )

Thanks very much for advising, teachers! ^o^

**RonBee** · #2 08-Feb-2004, 18:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Helped Wanted

Quoted from a passage in a comprehension:

When someone calls a person "a chameleon", he means that person is very good at disguising and quick with his actions.
There are about ninety kinds of chameleons and they vary in length from four to sixty centimetres.

Q1: Will you trust someone who is often called "a chameleon" by others? Why?

When a question contains the word "someone", how should I answer it?
Please correct if I am wrong, thanks teachers! ^o^

A1: No, because they are ( should I use "they are" or sth else?) very good at disguising and quick with his actions.

A2:No, I will not trust someone who is often called "a chameleon" by others because they are very good at disguising.

A3: No, I will not because a chameleon is very good at disguising, so maybe the one who is often called "a chameleon" will also disguise themselves and often tell lies. ( Please correct this answer if there's any mistakes, thanks)

First, what's a comprehension? Is it a textbook on reading comprehension?

Re:

Will you trust someone who is often called "a chameleon" by others?

Say "would you" instead of "will you".

"Someone" means "any single person". (Does that answer the question?)

"Someone" is singular, so say "he" or "she" is.

I like the part about lies, because a chameleon does, in a sense, lie by disguising itself as something it is not.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Helped Wanted

Q2: How long can a chameleon be?

A1: It can be 4 to 60 cm long.
A2: It can be from 4 to 60 cm in length.
A3: It can be 60 cm long.

They all look good to me.

:)

Dianelys · #3 08-Feb-2004, 22:07

Hi, H.W.!
Quoted from a passage in a comprehension:

1. When someone calls a person "a chameleon", he means that person is very good at disguising and quick with his actions.

If the pronoun used in the passage is “he”, then you should use the same form in your answer. (In this case, the traditional rule* should be applied.)

Q1: Will you trust someone who is often called "a chameleon" by others? Why?
A1: No, because of his changeable behaviour.

When a question contains the word "someone", how should I answer it?
Please correct if I am wrong, thanks teachers!

Indefinite pronouns: everyone, anyone, someone, etc. with singular or plural pronouns

When an indefinite pronoun is the subject, it always takes a singular verb.
a) * The traditional rule is to use masculine pronouns with anyone, everyone, no one, etc., unless the context is definitely female.
According to this rule, you would address an audience of both sexes like this:
If anyone wants to leave early, he can ask for permission.
b) Some speakers prefer to say: ‘You can’t tell somebody why he or she has failed.’
c) In practice, we use they, them, etc. without a plural meaning to refer to both sexes, though some native speakers think this is wrong.
Instead of: Everyone knows what he has to do, doesn’t he?
We say: Everyone knows what they have to do, don’t they?

2. There are about ninety kinds of chameleons and they vary in length from four to sixty centimetres.

Q2: How long can a chameleon be?

A1: It can be 4 to 60 cm long.
A2: It can be between 4 and 60 cm long.
A3: It can be up to 60 cm long.
************************************************** **************************************************
Is this a multiple-choice test (do you have to choose the correct answer from several possible ones), or do you have to give your own answers?

#4 09-Feb-2004, 09:48

Many thanks to both Ronbee and Dianelys for the great advice. It's a multiple-choice exercise. Thanks a lot again for helping Help Wanted! ^o^

MikeNewYork · #5 09-Feb-2004, 16:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Helped Wanted

Quoted from a passage in a comprehension:

When someone calls a person "a chameleon", he means that person is very good at disguising and quick with his actions.
There are about ninety kinds of chameleons and they vary in length from four to sixty centimetres.

Q1: Will you trust someone who is often called "a chameleon" by others? Why?

When a question contains the word "someone", how should I answer it?
Please correct if I am wrong, thanks teachers! ^o^

A1: No, because they are ( should I use "they are" or sth else?) very good at disguising and quick with his actions.

A2:No, I will not trust someone who is often called "a chameleon" by others because they are very good at disguising.

A3: No, I will not because a chameleon is very good at disguising, so maybe the one who is often called "a chameleon" will also disguise themselves and often tell lies. ( Please correct this answer if there's any mistakes, thanks)

Q2: How long can a chameleon be?

A1: It can be 4 to 60 cm long.
A2: It can be from 4 to 60 cm in length.
A3: It can be 60 cm long.

(Please correct me if any of the above answers are not correct, teachers! )

Thanks very much for advising, teachers! ^o^

You have already received good advice on pronouns with "someone". I want you to notice that the original passage used "he" for "someone". That would suggest that the author uses the singular masculine pronoun when the gender is unknown. Were I taking an examination, I would use the same style as the question asker.