Question 1
(Please note: The following questions are part of a cloze test. They are interrelated, meaning that the information provided in each question is connected to the others.)
The news did not come directly to Ella herself. _____ her indirectly through hints that she had won the prize.
The subject refers back to the news, which is an uncountable singular noun, so the pronoun is it, not they. Reach someone means 'get to someone' and takes a direct object: It reached her indirectly. Not It arrived at: we arrive at a place, not at a person.
Question 2
But as she was a calm, quiet girl, she _____ without _____, _____ the whole school was full of rumours and statements from students who had no right to be _____ at all because _____ really knew _____ what the result of this year’s art competition was.
Go on + -ing means 'continue doing the same thing': she simply went on working as usual, calm and quiet. Not went on to work: go on to do means 'do something new next', which doesn't fit someone carrying on calmly. Go back would need to + noun (went back to work).
Question 3
But as she was a calm, quiet girl, she _____ without _____, _____ the whole school was full of rumours and statements from students who had no right to be _____ at all because _____ really knew _____ what the result of this year’s art competition was.
Without is already negative, so it is followed by a non-assertive word: without saying anything. Not without saying nothing, which is a double negative. We say something but tell a person something, so telling anything doesn't fit here.
Question 4
But as she was a calm, quiet girl, she _____ without _____, _____ the whole school was full of rumours and statements from students who had no right to be _____ at all because _____ really knew _____ what the result of this year’s art competition was.
A conjunction is needed to join the clause the whole school was full of rumours to the main clause and show contrast: although. However and nevertheless are adverbs that need a new sentence or a semicolon before them. In spite needs of + noun/-ing.
Question 5
But as she was a calm, quiet girl, she _____ without _____, _____ the whole school was full of rumours and statements from students who had no right to be _____ at all because _____ really knew _____ what the result of this year’s art competition was.
The collocation is make an announcement (tell people news officially), and the plural making announcements fits students spreading statements. Not advertisements: these promote products. Do does not collocate with announcement.
Question 6
But as she was a calm, quiet girl, she _____ without _____, _____ the whole school was full of rumours and statements from students who had no right to be _____ at all because _____ really knew _____ what the result of this year’s art competition was.
The students had no right to talk because nobody knew the result, so a negative subject is needed: no one really knew. Anyone cannot be the subject of an affirmative verb with negative meaning, and not anyone cannot start a clause as subject. Some one gives the wrong meaning.
Question 7
But as she was a calm, quiet girl, she _____ without _____, _____ the whole school was full of rumours and statements from students who had no right to be _____ at all because _____ really knew _____ what the result of this year’s art competition was.
Yet is used in negative contexts for something expected but not happened so far: no one knew the result yet. Not still: it shows continuation and sounds wrong here. Any longer would mean people knew before but no longer do, and already is used in positive contexts.
Question 8
But Ella was _____ good artist, her lines so sure that _____ student in the art class was expected to win.
Before adjective + singular countable noun we use such a: such a good artist. So is used before an adjective alone (so good), and a so is wrong word order. Such without a is for plural or uncountable nouns.
Question 9
But Ella was _____ good artist, her lines so sure that _____ student in the art class was expected to win.
No other + singular noun means 'not any different one': no other student was expected to win. None other is used in none other than (= that very person), and no one other is not used before a noun. Not another doesn't work as a determiner on the subject here.
Question 10
But you never _____.
The fixed idea 'it is impossible to be certain' is expressed as you never could be sure (= you could never be sure), with could as the past of can in the narrative. Might know and can learn give the wrong meaning, and secure means 'safe', not 'certain'.
Question 11
Last year nobody had expected Frank Peters to win with the funny modern painting he had _____ the city bridge.
A painting or drawing of something shows that thing: a painting he had done of the city bridge. Do is common with paintings and drawings. Not made about: about is used for topics of books or films, not the subject shown in a picture.
Question 12
_____, it was hard to _____ the bridge until you looked at the picture for a long time.
In fact introduces a statement that adds to or emphasises what came before: the painting was 'funny' and modern, and in fact the bridge was hard to see. In the reality should be in reality, and the idiom is to tell the truth, not to say truth.
Question 13
_____, it was hard to _____ the bridge until you looked at the picture for a long time.
Make out means 'see or recognise something with difficulty': it was hard to make out the bridge. Not see through: that means 'not be deceived by' someone or something. Pick up and take hold of are about physically lifting or holding.
Question 14
Still, Frank had got the prize and the President of the Board of Governors had presented _____ at a big dinner in the Ritz Hotel.
The structure is present something to somebody: presented it to him. With present, the person needs to (or present somebody with something). Presented him it and presented it him are not correct, and him for it changes the meaning.
Question 15
Ella was a rather shy girl but her classmates seldom thought of her _____ shy.
The pattern is think of somebody as + adjective/noun: they seldom thought of her as shy. Think of her to be is not used, and like and for don't follow think of in this meaning.
Question 16
She was pretty and intelligent and _____ very well with everyone.
Get on (well) with someone means 'have a friendly relationship': she got on very well with everyone. Not got by: it means 'manage to survive with little money or help'.
Question 17
She played games well, had taken part in the school play, and never seemed to _____, except in pleasant ways.
Stand out means 'be very noticeable or different from others': she never seemed to stand out, except in pleasant ways. Distinguish would need an object (distinguish herself), stand up means rise or defend, and stand off is not used in this sense.
Question 18
She liked her school. She was very fond of her art teacher, Miss Drake, _____ was natural.
After a comma, which can refer to the whole previous clause: being fond of her art teacher was natural. What cannot be used as a relative pronoun after a clause, and where and whose don't fit the meaning.
Question 19
_____ wonderful about Miss Drake was that she brought out the best in her students - not _____ but theirs.
This is a what-cleft sentence: What was wonderful about Miss Drake was that … = 'the thing that was wonderful'. The thing what and the which are incorrect, and The alone leaves no subject for was.
Question 20
_____ wonderful about Miss Drake was that she brought out the best in her students - not _____ but theirs.
Her own best contrasts with theirs: she brought out the students' best, not her own best. Own after a possessive adds emphasis. Proper does not mean 'own', and her best herself / her best self do not fit the contrast with theirs.
Question 21
_____ best, _____, was not good enough to please Miss Drake.
With anybody else, the possessive 's goes at the end of the whole phrase: anybody else's best. Anybody's else is wrong word order. Other person's needs an article (another person's), and the plural possessive is other people's, not peoples'.
Question 22
_____ best, _____, was not good enough to please Miss Drake.
However + adjective + subject + verb means 'no matter how': however good it was. The word order is normal statement order, so however good was it is wrong. For how good it might be is not an English structure.
Question 23
So Ella was _____ the prize, not just for herself and her parents but because she had heard Miss Drake _____ that it was the _____ seen from one of her students.
In look forward to, to is a preposition, so it is followed by -ing: looking forward to winning. Not looking forward to win. Wishing to win is formal and unnatural in the continuous, and wait for is not followed by -ing in this way.
Question 24
So Ella was _____ the prize, not just for herself and her parents but because she had heard Miss Drake _____ that it was the _____ seen from one of her students.
After verbs of perception like hear, we use the bare infinitive (or -ing): she had heard Miss Drake say. To say is wrong after hear in the active. Tell needs a person as object (tell someone that).
Question 25
So Ella was _____ the prize, not just for herself and her parents but because she had heard Miss Drake _____ that it was the _____ seen from one of her students.
With the and ever we use the superlative: the best painting. Since the speaking was in the past and refers to all her experience up to then, we need the past perfect: she had ever seen. Not she ever had seen, which has the wrong word order for ever.
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