Get Ready for Yet Another Cost When Buying a Home: Junk Fees

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

C2. 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.

   Choose the sentence that best preserves the article’s formal concessive meaning.

   1. Although the fee is minor, it may still affect affordability.
   2. Despite the fee is minor, it may still affect affordability.
   3. Although being minor, the fee may still affect affordability.
   4. The fee may still affect affordability, despite it is minor.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Although the fee is minor, it may still affect affordability.

   “Although” appropriately introduces a contrast between size and significance.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which sentence uses inversion correctly for emphatic formal style?

   1. Rarely a home purchase is only the advertised price.
   2. Rarely is a home purchase only the advertised price.
   3. Rarely does a home purchase only being the advertised price.
   4. Rarely a home purchase does only the advertised price.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Rarely is a home purchase only the advertised price.

   Negative-fronted inversion requires auxiliary placement before the subject.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Select the most precise reduced relative clause.

   1. A charge imposing directly on consumers may be disputed.
   2. A charge imposed directly on consumers may be disputed.
   3. A charge was imposed directly on consumers may be disputed.
   4. A charge imposes directly on consumers may be disputed.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   A charge imposed directly on consumers may be disputed.

   “Imposed directly” correctly reduces “that is imposed directly.”

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which construction correctly expresses an unrealized past condition?

   1. If buyers had understood the fee, they would have questioned it.
   2. If buyers understood the fee, they would have questioned it.
   3. If buyers had understood the fee, they will question it.
   4. If buyers would understand the fee, they questioned it.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   If buyers had understood the fee, they would have questioned it.

   The third conditional uses past perfect and would have plus a participle.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the sentence with correct parallelism.

   1. Consumers should explain fees, identifying responsibility, and determine necessity.
   2. Consumers should explain fees, identify responsibility, and determine necessity.
   3. Consumers should explaining fees, identify responsibility, and determining necessity.
   4. Consumers should explain fees, responsibility identified, and determine necessity.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Consumers should explain fees, identify responsibility, and determine necessity.

   All three coordinated actions use matching gerund forms.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which sentence correctly uses a mandative subjunctive?

   1. Researchers recommend that consumers review every charge.
   2. Researchers recommend that consumers reviews every charge.
   3. Researchers recommend that consumers reviewed every charge.
   4. Researchers recommend consumers to review every charge.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Researchers recommend that consumers review every charge.

   Formal mandative clauses use the base verb after “recommend that.”

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Select the sentence with an accurate cleft construction.

   1. What requires examination is whether the fee is necessary.
   2. What requires examination are whether the fee is necessary.
   3. What requiring examination is whether the fee is necessary.
   4. What requires examination whether the fee is necessary.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   What requires examination is whether the fee is necessary.

   The cleft correctly foregrounds the specific issue requiring examination.

8. Question 8 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which sentence correctly uses a participial clause with the same subject?

   1. Recognizing hidden costs, consumers can assess the transaction more accurately.
   2. Recognized hidden costs, consumers can assess the transaction more accurately.
   3. Recognizing hidden costs, the transaction becomes more accurate for consumers.
   4. Having recognize hidden costs, consumers assess the transaction more accurately.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Recognizing hidden costs, consumers can assess the transaction more accurately.

   “Recognizing” logically modifies consumers who review the charges.

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.