Multiple choice option: she had non / she had nothing

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sb70012

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I asked her for some paper but she had ………….

a)none (Answer Key)
b)not
c)no
d)nothing

Hi,

Can "nothing" be correct too?
To me it makes sense.
Any thoughts?

Source: School exam sheets
Thank you
 

Odessa Dawn

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I asked her for some paper but she had ………….

a)none (Answer Key)
b)not
c)no
d)nothing


***NOT A TEACHER***


Why not b), please?

 

emsr2d2

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I asked her for some paper but she had ………….

a)none (Answer Key)
b)not
c)no
d)nothing

Hi,

Can "nothing" be correct too?
To me it makes sense.
Any thoughts?

Source: School exam sheets
Thank you

Just because she doesn't have any paper, that doesn't mean she has nothing at all. She might have had twenty pens, three rules, twelve pencils, a protractor, a sunhat, a pair of glasses and a stuffed lion but none of that matters. What she doesn't have is any paper. If you turn it into a question and answer, it might be clearer:

How much paper do you have?
None.
 

MikeNewYork

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***NOT A TEACHER***


Why not b), please?


Based on the structure of the sentence, the blank is calling for a noun/pronoun. That would be A or B. As emsr explained, only "none" works there.
 
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