TOEIC : Nouns
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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Nouns
A man walked into the bar, placed his straw hat on the chair next to him, flapped his tattered pants with a long, tapered finger, and cooly observed the dining hall. He removed from his billfold seven hundreds, placed them on the counter and asked for a telephone, saying he just needed to make a quick _______________.
call
trip
jumprope
vacation
call
Here, a "call" is a thing made with a phone, not the direct verb of the clause. The context that is important here is the phone. "Call" is the only noun listed that is related to a telephone.
Example Question #2 : Nouns
Choose the word that correctly completes the sentence.
Your brother, I am sorry to say, did not pass his driver's ___________.
exam
estimation
attempt
experiment
exam
The correct answer is "exam." We know from the sentence that the subject was trying to pass something but failed. The nouns "experiment" and "estimation" are not things that can be passed. An "attempt" is a try, and although the subject did try to pass the exam, he was not successful. The best answer is "exam."
Example Question #3 : Nouns
Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.
A tray of plates came crashing down, causing a _____________ in the quiet restaurant.
separation
break
tranquility
disruption
disruption
The best choice is "disruption;" a word meaning a disturbance or commotion, which is what would occur if someone dropped plates in a quiet restaurant. "Tranquility," meaning an environment of calm, is the opposite of what would happen. "Separation" is a state of being moved apart, as is "break," so both of these choices do not make sense in this sentence. The best choice is "disruption."
Example Question #1 : Nouns
Noon came and went, and stlll, by Jean-Paul's estimates, they were only about half-way done their climb. Their __________ was slower than they'd hoped.
progressed
progressing
progression
progresses
progress
progress
The possessive pronoun their indicates that a noun is needed, so the only two options are progress and progression. Progression is a noun describing the act of progressing, whereas progress (when used as a noun and not a verb) can be used to measure space or distance.
Example Question #2 : Nouns
Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.
____________ have to go to school for many years to get their degrees.
Nurse
Doctor
Doctors
Teacher
Doctors
The correct answer is "Doctors." This sentence requires a plural noun to agree with the plural pronoun "their" later in the sentence. The other answer choices are all singular, which is why the only answer choice that fits grammatically is "doctors."
Example Question #1 : Nouns
Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.
His dirty __________ were on the floor by the front door.
backpack
shoes
shoe
shirt
shoes
The correct answer is "shoes." This answer is correct because it is plural. We know that we need a plural subject because it has to agree with the plural verb, "were." "Shirt," "shoe," and "backpack" are all singular, so they do not agree with the plural verb "were." That is why the best choice is "shoes."
Example Question #7 : Nouns
Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.
The ___________ had to wash his shirt after spilling coffee all over it.
men
man
woman
women
man
The correct answer is "man." We know that we need a singular noun, and also a male because the sentence states "his shirt." The subject of the sentence must agree with the pronoun. Since the other options are plural and/or feminine, they are incorrect.
Example Question #8 : Nouns
Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.
The ________ were in the backyard.
kid
cats
cat
dog
cats
The correct answer is "cats." This is a plural noun, and we know we need a plural noun because of the plural verb "were." The other options are singular, so they would be incorrect if inserted into this sentence. Therefore, the best choice is "cats."
Example Question #9 : Nouns
Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.
___________ have to wear traditional uniforms.
Sailors
Worker
Teacher
Army
Sailors
The correct answer is "sailors." We know this is the correct answer because it is a plural noun. The subject of the sentence has to be plural because the verb "have to wear" is in plural form. The other options are singular, so they would be grammatically incorrect in this sentence. The best choice is "sailors."
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