How can we deal with these kinds of questions?

[Kharkhun]

How can we deal with these kinds of questions? Meanwhile, Would you please confirm my answers if correct?



All through the TOEFL iBT exam, there was...(1)... silence! You could hear a ..(2)... drop!When all of a sudden, there was a power cut and people started shouting and moving around as if the hell had broken ...(3)... and I could not even hear myself ...(4)...!


1. deafening
2. pin
3. loose
4. think

Thanks

 

[Rover_KE]

Did you have alternatives to choose from?

I'd have expected 'a' before 'deafening' in #1.

2, 3 and 4 are fine.

 

[SoothingDave]

"All hell had broken loose," not "the hell."

 

[Kharkhun]

I think silence is an uncountable noun here. Isn't it?

 

[bhaisahab]

I think silence is an uncountable noun here. Isn't it?

Have a look at definition B2 here: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/silence_2

 

[Kharkhun]

Look at here Please. The second entry:

http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/silence_1

 

[Rover_KE]

If you did not have a choice of answers, a better answer would have been 'All through the...exam there was complete/total silence'.

A deafening silence falls suddenly when something startling, unexpected or embarrassing happens, halting all conversation, with nobody knowing what to say or do.

Silence is expected in an exam.


`

 

[Tdol]

I think silence is an uncountable noun here. Isn't it?

Not if you use deafening. We say a deafening silence. If there's no article, then I'd use a different adjective like total.