Wisconsin congressman describes swimming to safety after small plane makes emergency landing in Lake Wausau

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.

   Which revision preserves the article’s meaning using a reduced relative clause?

   1. The plane riding Tiffany came down.
   2. The plane Tiffany was riding came down.
   3. The plane ridden Tiffany came down.
   4. The plane was riding Tiffany came down.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The plane Tiffany was riding came down.

   “Riding in” correctly reduces “that he was riding in.”

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the most precise inversion for emphasis.

   1. Only then they reached shallow water.
   2. Only then did they reach shallow water.
   3. Only then reached they shallow water.
   4. Only then they did reach shallow water.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Only then did they reach shallow water.

   Negative-fronted inversion appropriately foregrounds the danger’s persistence.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which sentence correctly expresses an unreal past condition?

   1. Had they remained aboard, they might have drowned.
   2. If they remain aboard, they might have drowned.
   3. Had they remained aboard, they may drown.
   4. If they had remain aboard, they might drowned.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Had they remained aboard, they might have drowned.

   The third conditional uses “had remained” and “might have drowned.”

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the grammatically correct participial clause.

   1. Swimming toward shore, the men reached shallow water.
   2. Swimming toward shore, shallow water was reached.
   3. Having swim toward shore, the men reached water.
   4. Swam toward shore, the men reached water.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Swimming toward shore, the men reached shallow water.

   The participle correctly shares the subject with the main clause.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which option uses a mandative subjunctive correctly?

   1. Officials recommended that the pilot was examined.
   2. Officials recommended that the pilot be examined.
   3. Officials recommended the pilot examined.
   4. Officials recommended that the pilot is examined.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Officials recommended that the pilot be examined.

   Formal recommendations take the base verb after “recommended that.”

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the correct concessive construction.

   1. However frightening the experience was, he survived.
   2. However the experience frightening was, he survived.
   3. However frightened the experience was, he survived.
   4. However frightening was the experience, he survived.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   However frightening the experience was, he survived.

   “However frightening” correctly modifies the experience despite its severity.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which sentence correctly uses a cleft construction for emphasis?

   1. What mattered was that they called 911.
   2. What mattered they called 911.
   3. What was mattered that they called 911.
   4. What mattered was they had called 911.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   What mattered was that they called 911.

   The cleft identifies calling 911 as the action being emphasized.

8. Question 8 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the correct subjunctive form after “as though.”

   1. He spoke as though he relives the danger.
   2. He spoke as though he had relived the danger.
   3. He spoke as though he has relived the danger.
   4. He spoke as though he relive the danger.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   He spoke as though he had relived the danger.

   The past perfect marks an apparently unreal prior event.

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.