Racton Monument: Britain’s Roofless Folly with a Chilling Reputation

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

Fill in the blank (dropdown)

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 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   The monument is said ___ among Sussex’s most haunted places.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. being
   2. be
   3. to be
   4. been
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   to be

   The passive reporting construction requires a to-infinitive.

2. Question 2 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   Had the original purpose been documented, the legends ___ less influential.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. would be
   2. would have been
   3. will have been
   4. had been
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   would have been

   A third conditional result clause requires would have plus past participle.

3. Question 3 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   The reports, ___ unverifiable, have shaped the monument’s identity.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. although
   2. despite
   3. while being
   4. even though being
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   while being

   The reduced concessive clause requires an adjective complement.

4. Question 4 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   The monument’s reputation is sustained not by evidence ___ by narrative persistence.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. and
   2. or
   3. but
   4. nor
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   but

   The correlative construction “not by X but by Y” requires but.

5. Question 5 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   Visitors may view the ruin from nearby footpaths without ___ the boundary.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. cross
   2. to cross
   3. crossing
   4. crossed
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   crossing

   The preposition without is followed by a gerund.

6. Question 6 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   The structure, ___ roofless, remains visually striking.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. being
   2. been
   3. to be
   4. be
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   being

   The participial phrase requires the present participle modifying the structure.

7. Question 7 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   Rarely ___ a ruin combine such uncertainty with such a durable reputation.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. a ruin does
   2. does a ruin
   3. a ruin has
   4. has a ruin
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   does a ruin

   Negative-fronted inversion requires the auxiliary before the subject.

8. Question 8 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   The stories have outlasted the function ___ the monument was originally built.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. where
   2. whose
   3. which
   4. when
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   which

   The relative clause requires the preposition-compatible relative pronoun that.

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.