Amid war and sanctions, many Iranians are losing their jobs and struggling to get by

Study the questions and tasks

Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.

Practice level

C1. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.

Question formats

Single choice

How to approach this practice

Read the complete sentence and notice the subject, verb form, time reference and word order before answering.

1. Question 1 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which sentence correctly uses an inverted conditional structure?

   1. Had primary work disappeared, households might have struggled sooner.
   2. Had primary work disappear, households might struggled sooner.
   3. Had primary work disappeared, households might struggle sooner yesterday.
   4. Had primary work disappearing, households might have struggled sooner.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Had primary work disappeared, households might have struggled sooner.

   Had primary work disappeared is the formal equivalent of If primary work had disappeared.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which sentence uses a reduced relative clause correctly?

   1. Workers affected by sanctions may need alternative support.
   2. Workers affecting by sanctions may need alternative support.
   3. Workers were affected by sanctions may need alternative support.
   4. Workers having affect sanctions may need alternative support.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Workers affected by sanctions may need alternative support.

   Affected workers is a reduced form of workers who are affected.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which sentence correctly expresses concession with “however”?

   1. Secondary work remains available, however it is less secure.
   2. Secondary work remains available; however, it is less secure.
   3. Secondary work remains available however, it is less secure.
   4. Secondary work remains available, it is however less secure.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Secondary work remains available; however, it is less secure.

   However contrasts the availability of secondary work with its declining security.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which sentence correctly uses a cleft construction for emphasis?

   1. What intensifies the problem is the loss of backup employment.
   2. What intensifies the problem the loss of backup employment is.
   3. What the problem intensifies is loss backup employment.
   4. What intensifies is the problem of backup employment the loss.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   What intensifies the problem is the loss of backup employment.

   The cleft structure highlights the loss of backup employment as the crucial consequence.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which sentence correctly uses a modal perfect for past possibility?

   1. Official figures may underestimate household vulnerability.
   2. Official figures may have underestimated household vulnerability.
   3. Official figures may underestimated household vulnerability.
   4. Official figures may have underestimate household vulnerability.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Official figures may have underestimated household vulnerability.

   May have underestimated refers to a possible earlier failure of measurement.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which sentence correctly uses a non-finite participial clause?

   1. Having lost primary income, workers face greater insecurity.
   2. Having lose primary income, workers face greater insecurity.
   3. Having losing primary income, workers face greater insecurity.
   4. Having been lose primary income, workers face greater insecurity.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Having lost primary income, workers face greater insecurity.

   Having lost primary income establishes an earlier condition for the main clause.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which sentence correctly uses inversion after a negative adverbial?

   1. Not only workers lose income, but they also lose alternatives.
   2. Not only do workers lose income, but they also lose alternatives.
   3. Not only workers do lose income, but they also lose alternatives.
   4. Not only losing income workers, but they also lose alternatives.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Not only do workers lose income, but they also lose alternatives.

   Not only must be followed by auxiliary inversion in formal negative-fronting.

What to review next

After checking an answer, explain the rule in your own words and write a new sentence using the same pattern. Revisit any rules you could not explain.

A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.