Virginia preschoolers embark on their very first day of school

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 concessive contrast.

   1. Although millions begin school, the report follows one small group.
   2. Despite millions begin school, the report follows one small group.
   3. Although millions beginning school, the report follows one small group.
   4. Despite of millions beginning school, the report follows one small group.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Although millions begin school, the report follows one small group.

   “Although” correctly subordinates the contrast between scale and intimacy.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the most precise inversion for formal emphasis.

   1. Not until this day the children encountered formal schooling.
   2. Not until this day did the children encounter formal schooling.
   3. Not until this day encountered the children formal schooling.
   4. Not until this day have the children encountered formal schooling yesterday.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Not until this day did the children encounter formal schooling.

   Negative inversion requires auxiliary “did” before the subject.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the sentence with correct parallel structure.

   1. They are beginning school rather than resuming an established routine.
   2. They are beginning school rather than to resume an established routine.
   3. They begin school rather than resuming an established routine to return.
   4. They are beginning school rather than they resume an established routine.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   They are beginning school rather than resuming an established routine.

   The paired gerunds create balanced alternatives after “rather than.”

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the sentence with the clearest reduced relative clause.

   1. The report describes a community situated outside Richmond.
   2. The report describes a community situating outside Richmond.
   3. The report describes a community it situated outside Richmond.
   4. The report describes a community was situated outside Richmond.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The report describes a community situated outside Richmond.

   “Situated” correctly reduces “which is situated” after the noun phrase.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the correct subjunctive construction.

   1. The report recommends that coverage remains locally grounded.
   2. The report recommends that coverage remain locally grounded.
   3. The report recommends coverage remaining locally grounded.
   4. The report recommends that coverage to remain locally grounded.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The report recommends that coverage remain locally grounded.

   Formal recommendations take the mandative subjunctive after “recommend.”

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the sentence with correct emphatic clefting.

   1. What the article emphasizes is the children’s transition.
   2. What emphasizes the article is the children’s transition.
   3. What the article emphasizes it is the children’s transition.
   4. What the article does emphasizing is the children’s transition.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   What the article emphasizes is the children’s transition.

   The cleft construction correctly foregrounds the children’s transition.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the most idiomatic conditional sentence.

   1. Without the local example, the national transition would seem less tangible.
   2. Without the local example, the national transition would have seemed less tangible.
   3. Without the local example, the national transition would seem less tangibly.
   4. Without the local example, the national transition had seemed less tangible.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Without the local example, the national transition would have seemed less tangible.

   The third conditional requires “would have” plus a past participle.

8. Question 8 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the sentence with accurate modal perfect meaning.

   1. The local focus must give the transition a human scale.
   2. The local focus must have given the transition a human scale.
   3. The local focus must had given the transition a human scale.
   4. The local focus must have giving the transition a human scale.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The local focus must have given the transition a human scale.

   “Must have given” expresses a strong inference about a past result.

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.