[Grammar] She was able to leave work early yesterday

[ambitious-girl]

Which is closer to the meaning of the sentence 'She was able to leave work early yesterday.'?

a) She left work early yesterday.
b) She had the opportunity to leave work early yesterday, but we don't know if she took it.

Could someone please tell me which one is correct?

Source: Oxford Practice Grammar. The topic of a lesson was about "can/could/be able to".

 

[jutfrank]

The answer is b).

 

[GoesStation]

Definitely B.

 

[Tdol]

I agree with Piscean that both are possible, but without any further context, I would go for b).

 

[ambitious-girl]

I also got for b), but the answer in the book is a). Thanks all for all your helpful and informative information.

 

[ambitious-girl]

I didn't think Mary would make it to the station in time, but she did. She was able to leave work early. So, thanks to her kind boss, we were able to catch the early train.

That seems to be a context for (a).

Thanks teacher. So helpful example, and in your example, "be able to" means to have ability". However, "b" means an opportunity.

 

[Tdol]

I also got for b), but the answer in the book is a). Thanks all for all your helpful and informative information.

Exams are tested with many before they are released because answers that may seem clear to the person writing the question are sometimes less clear to the audience. That shouldn't undermine your faith in a book unless they keep doing it.

 

[ambitious-girl]

Exams are tested with many before they are released because answers that may seem clear to the person writing the question are sometimes less clear to the audience. That shouldn't undermine your faith in a book unless they keep doing it.

Thanks teacher for sharing your helpful tip with me. You are right. I felt so happy when I found that almost all, like me, went for answer b).