[Grammar] 5 multiple choice questions

[ohmyrichard]

Hi,everyone.
Would you please help me with the following multiple choice questions, which are taken from a national test for English majors in China taken yesterday?

1. It is going to be fine tomorrow. _____________.
A. So is it. B. So it is. C. So it does. D. So does it.
My inference: I consulted my Longman dictionary and it tells me that "So she is/ so they are etc" is used to agree with something that has just been mentioned and that you had not noticed or had forgotten. The dictionary gives an example, which is actually a conversation, which goes, "Don't forget your brother is coming round for dinner." "So he is. I'd better get some food in." So, based on this explanation, I conclude that there is something wrong with the typography of the two sentences. If Option B is correct, the two sentences should have been made by two speakers and should have been typed like this:
Either
-- It is going to be fine tomorrow.
-- So it is.
or
"It is going to be fine tomorrow." "So it is."

2. Aren't you tired? I __________ you had done enough for today/
A. should have thought B. must have thought
C. might have thought D. could have thought
My understanding: My choice is A. I reason that "I should have thought..." is used to tell that the speaker is blaming him- or herself for having been careless and inconsiderate. But I have to admit that these modal verbs are quite tricky sometimes.

3. Representatives from the companies indicated that they should go on working together in ________.
A. unity B. entity C. partners D. partnership
My stand: I choose D because I remember in his speech delivered after the G20 London summit earlier this month, Obama said, "...we are going to have to act in partnership with other countries". So "act/ work in partnership with others" means "cooperate with others." But the key provided by a Chinese expert hired by a Chinese language training website has a different choice. They choose A. I think theirs is incorrect.

4. They young employees has a(n) ______ quality -- he is totally honest.
A. respectable B. admirable C. decent D. approachable
My choice: I choose B, for I think the choice will only be made between A and B, and A is usually used to modify people. Again that Chinese expert chooses D instead. But "approachable" means "friendly and easy to talk to", which has nothing to do with his honesty.

5. "The man preparing the documents is the firm's lawyer" has all the following possible meanings EXCEPT

A. the man who has prepared the documents…
B. the man who has been preparing the documents…
C. the man who is preparing the documents…
D. the man who will prepare the documents…
My headache: I choose A, but I'm not so sure of it.

I beg you to help me with these four questions.
Thanks.
Richard

[Soup]

Hi Richard

1. Yes, it could be two people speaking:

Max: It is going to be fine tomorrow.
Pat: So it is.

But, given the choices available, only B. works:

A. So is it. <Question>
B. So it is.
C. So it does. <Action>
D. So does it. <Question>


2. Choice A., even D., but I would have said, "I would have thought you ... ", which isn't even a choice. Agh, modals are tricky without context, and they can differ across dialects.


3. Representatives from the companies indicated that they should go on working together in ________.

A. unity <collocation>
B. entity
C. partners
D. partnership <synonym, but can imply 2>


4. The young employee has a(n) ______ quality -- he is totally honest.

A. respectable
B. admirable <I would have picked B. too>
C. decent
D. approachable <he's very sincere is the meaning I think the examiner was after with 'he is totally honest.'>


5. "The man preparing the documents is the firm's lawyer" has all the following possible meanings EXCEPT

A. the man who has prepared the documents…
B. the man who has been preparing the documents…
C. the man who is preparing the documents…
D. the man who will prepare the documents…

Note, C. is the answer as 'preparing the documents' is a reduce relative clause.

[ohmyrichard]

Originally Posted by Soup

3. Representatives from the companies indicated that they should go on working together in ________.

A. unity <collocation>
B. entity
C. partners
D. partnership <synonym, but can imply 2>

5. "The man preparing the documents is the firm's lawyer" has all the following possible meanings EXCEPT

A. the man who has prepared the documents…
B. the man who has been preparing the documents…
C. the man who is preparing the documents…
D. the man who will prepare the documents…

Note, C. is the answer as 'preparing the documents' is a reduce relative clause.

Thank you, Soup.
Since you've been working as an English teacher in China for some time, I'm afraid you may have heard of the annual test English majors in the second year or third year of college took yesterday. It is called TEM-4 (Test for English Majors Grade 4). Part IV is Grammar & Vocabulary, where there are 15 grammar items and 15 vocabulary items-- that is, 30 items in all. Almost every year there will great controversy over some of these items, especially several grammar items. I do not know why the designers of the test did not consult native speakers to avoid possible controversy among those concerned about this test. Oh, I guess some of them are old and feel clumsy with computers. They often make arbitary decisions.
Back to the mulitiple choice questions, do you mean that as for Sentence 3, "unity" is a better choice than "partnership"?
And I thought I was quite sure that "the man preparing the documents..." is in most cases equal to "the man who is preparing the documents...", but now after I read your explanation, I get confused. Please tell me what a reduce relative clause is. "The man who is preparing the documents..." has all the following possible meanings EXCEPT C? You can't imagine how perplexed now I am.
Please help me!
Richard

[engee30]

Originally Posted by ohmyrichard

And I thought I was quite sure that "the man preparing the documents..." is in most cases equal to "the man who is preparing the documents...", but now after I read your explanation, I get confused. Please tell me what a reduce relative clause is. "The man who is preparing the documents..." has all the following possible meanings EXCEPT C? You can't imagine how perplexed now I am.
Please help me!
Richard

Hey ohmyrichard - you seem to have misread Soup's explanation. You thought right about the issue - man preparing = man who is preparing in this case.

[Soup]

Hi Richard

Yes, I'm aware that the TEM-4 (Test for English Majors Grade 4) was held yesterday and the day before, right? It was a two-day event, no? My colleague, English name Snow, was in attendance. (I'll hear tomorrow about whether she thinks she did well or not.)


In answer to your follow-up questions, yes, "unity" is a better choice than "partnership". It might not be anynore, thanks to Obama .

As for "the man preparing the documents", sorry, I didn't read the question properly. (I guess I would have failed to TEM-4 ). You are right, the answer is A. It doesn't fit, whereas B. through D. do:

A. the man who has prepared <past>
B. the man who has been preparing <continuous>
C. the man who is preparing <continuous>
D. the man will prepare / will be preparing <future; continuous>

[engee30]

Originally Posted by engee30

Hey ohmyrichard - you seem to have misread Soup's explanation. You thought right about the issue - man preparing = man who is preparing in this case.

Oops it was me who misread your post. That except makes all the difference.

[ohmyrichard]

Originally Posted by Soup

Hi Richard

Yes, I'm aware that the TEM-4 (Test for English Majors Grade 4) was held yesterday and the day before, right? It was a two-day event, no? My colleague, English name Snow, was in attendance. (I'll hear tomorrow about whether she thinks she did well or not.)


In answer to your follow-up questions, yes, "unity" is a better choice than "partnership". It might not be anynore, thanks to Obama .

As for "the man preparing the documents", sorry, I didn't read the question properly. (I guess I would have failed to TEM-4 ). You are right, the answer is A. It doesn't fit, whereas B. through D. do:

A. the man who has prepared <past>
B. the man who has been preparing <continuous>
C. the man who is preparing <continuous>
D. the man will prepare / will be preparing <future; continuous>

Thanks, Soup.
But I'm sorry to tell you that you got it wrong. The TEM-4 (Test for English Majors Grade 4) this year took place yesterday morning and as always lasted approximately 135 min. Your colleauge, a teacher, couldn't have taken this test. English majors in China are allowed only two opportunities for this test. That is, sophomore English majors take this test for the first time one weekend in the middle of the second semester of their second year. And if they fail it, they will be allowed to sit the test for the second time. But no one is allowed to take it a third time.The test senior English majors take is TEM-8 (Test for English Major Grade 8) which lasts more than 3 hours and is more challenging. Many colleges and universites have the rule that if an English major student fails TEM4 and then again fails TEM8 by graduation,he or she will not be granted a bachelor's degree. Success on TEM-8 usually means that you enjoy a high level of English proficiency,or at least theoretically. To my knowledge, TEM8 is more difficult than TOEFL or IELTS. As I am not familiar with GRE, I have no idea what its relativity in difficulty to it.
Thanks for your explanation.
All the best.
Richard