Modals Deduction — Ingles Grado 11, Honduras

Bloom: Analyze

A student walks into a school building at night and sees a lit corridor.

The lights in the laboratory are on; the teacher ____ be inside.

Ver respuesta

Respuesta correcta: A) must

A) mustCorrect! 'Must' expresses a strong deduction drawn from present evidence.
B) might'Might' would leave the deduction open and weak, and the evidence here is clear.
C) should'Should' expresses expectation based on norms, not on direct evidence.
D) would'Would' belongs to conditional or polite structures, not to deduction.

💡 Explicación

In present deductions, 'must' signals certainty from evidence and 'might' signals only a possibility. The strength of the conclusion chooses the modal.

Bloom: Analyze

A classmate notices a detail in the shoes of another classmate after a storm.

Look at those wet shoes; he ____ have walked through the flooded street.

Ver respuesta

Respuesta correcta: B) must

A) cannot'Cannot' would deny the action, but the shoes are a sign that it happened.
B) mustCorrect! 'Must' draws a certain conclusion from a visible sign.
C) should'Should' expresses a general expectation and ignores the evidence.
D) can'Can' states capacity and says nothing about what occurred.

💡 Explicación

Physical evidence about the present is exactly the kind of signal that licenses a 'must' deduction about a past action.

Bloom: Analyze

An office assistant notes that a colleague was not informed about a meeting.

She ____ be the new coordinator, because no one has told her about the meeting.

Ver respuesta

Respuesta correcta: C) cannot

A) must'Must' would assert the opposite conclusion.
B) should'Should' would express a general expectation about the job, not an inference.
C) cannotCorrect! 'Cannot' expresses a negative conclusion drawn from the missing information.
D) would'Would' would form a conditional that the sentence does not contain.

💡 Explicación

The negative deduction uses 'cannot' plus the bare infinitive. The evidence in the second clause is the reason for the conclusion in the first.

Bloom: Evaluate

A cleaner arrives early in the morning of a school day.

There is no light in the classroom and all the chairs are stacked, so the janitor ____ have left the keys on his desk.

Ver respuesta

Respuesta correcta: D) may

A) must'Must' would claim certainty, which the sparse evidence does not support.
B) cannot'Cannot' would deny that the keys were left, and nothing indicates that.
C) should'Should' expresses an expectation about normal procedure rather than an inference.
D) mayCorrect! 'May' leaves the possibility open, which fits a conclusion that is plausible but not certain.

💡 Explicación

Deductions about the past use 'might', 'could' or 'may' when the evidence is incomplete. The strength of the claim is what the modal carries.

Bloom: Apply

A teacher watches a group of students in a school yard.

The children ____ be tired; they have been playing for six hours.

Ver respuesta

Respuesta correcta: A) must

A) mustCorrect! 'Must' states a certain present conclusion based on the length of the activity.
B) cannot'Cannot' would deny the tiredness that the evidence supports.
C) might'Might' would weaken a conclusion the facts make obvious.
D) should not'Should not' would give advice, and no action is being advised against.

💡 Explicación

The second clause gives the reason, so the modal in the first must express a certain conclusion: 'must' in the present.

Bloom: Analyze

A student observes a classmate dressed for cold weather in a warm classroom.

He is wearing a wool sweater inside the classroom; he ____ be feeling cold.

Ver respuesta

Respuesta correcta: B) must

A) might'Might' would be a weaker inference than the situation allows.
B) mustCorrect! 'Must' draws a certain conclusion from the clothing in a warm room.
C) cannot'Cannot' would deny the sensation that the sweater suggests.
D) should'Should' would express a general expectation about room temperature.

💡 Explicación

A single clear sign justifies 'must'. The deduction is about a present state, so the modal is not followed by 'have' plus a participle.

Bloom: Analyze

A student returns to a shared kitchen and finds the food already prepared.

The bread on the table has been cut, so someone ____ have used the kitchen.

Ver respuesta

Respuesta correcta: C) must

A) cannot'Cannot' would deny the use of the kitchen, but the cut bread is a sign against that.
B) should'Should' would express a norm about kitchen use.
C) mustCorrect! 'Must' with 'have' plus a participle draws a certain conclusion about a past action.
D) may not'May not' would leave the possibility open, and the evidence is direct.

💡 Explicación

Past deductions with a present sign use 'must have' plus a participle. The perfect structure marks the action as finished before the moment of speaking.

Bloom: Apply

A group returns from an outdoor activity beside a river in a tropical region.

He is wet from head to toe; he ____ have been swimming in the river.

Ver respuesta

Respuesta correcta: D) must

A) should'Should' would be an expectation about what a wet person normally did.
B) can'Can' expresses capacity and not deduction.
C) would'Would' would form a conditional or a polite offer.
D) mustCorrect! 'Must' plus 'have been' plus a participle states a certain conclusion about a past activity.

💡 Explicación

The deduction combines a certain modal with a perfect auxiliary, which places the deduced action before the moment of observation.

Bloom: Evaluate

A person explains an absence at a family event to a mutual friend.

I did not see her at the party, so she ____ not have received my message.

Ver respuesta

Respuesta correcta: A) might

A) mightCorrect! 'Might not' leaves open whether the message arrived, which matches the limited evidence.
B) must'Must' would assert that the message was received, and nothing shows that.
C) cannot'Cannot' would state that it was impossible for her to receive it.
D) should'Should' would express an expectation about replying.

💡 Explicación

Absence at an event is weak evidence. 'Might not' is the honest form: it removes the conclusion without denying the possibility.

Bloom: Apply

A resident observes the ground of a courtyard in the early morning.

The ground outside is soaked, ____ somebody watered the plants last night.

Ver respuesta

Respuesta correcta: B) so

A) because'because' would present the cause first, but the sentence starts from the result.
B) soCorrect! 'so' links the observed result with the deduced cause that a later clause would explain.
C) although'although' would need a contrast, and both clauses agree.
D) unless'unless' would state a condition that has to be met, and it is the opposite of the relation here.

💡 Explicación

The first clause is the evidence and the second is the deduction. 'So' is the connector that turns observation into inference.

Bloom: Apply

A student reviews a report card showing two low grades.

She has failed two exams, so she ____ revise harder if she wants to pass.

Ver respuesta

Respuesta correcta: C) must

A) can'Can' would describe a capacity rather than what she ought to do.
B) would'Would' would form a conditional whose main clause is missing here.
C) mustCorrect! 'Must' states a strong requirement of effort in this situation.
D) should'Should' would give softer advice, and the results make a firm requirement necessary.

💡 Explicación

'Must' can express obligation deduced from circumstances. 'Should' gives advice, while 'must' states the requirement the results impose.

Bloom: Analyze

A traveller passes a small eating place that is full very early in the day.

This restaurant ____ be excellent; there was a queue at seven in the morning.

Ver respuesta

Respuesta correcta: D) must

A) cannot'Cannot' would deny the quality, which the queue contradicts.
B) may'May' would only suggest a possibility, and the evidence is strong.
C) would'Would' would be a conditional form with no main clause.
D) mustCorrect! 'Must' states a certain conclusion from a long queue at an unusual hour.

💡 Explicación

The strength of the evidence sets the modal. A long queue at an abnormal hour makes the conclusion more than a bare possibility.

Bloom: Apply

A teacher arrives at a classroom and finds it empty at the end of the day.

The students ____ have left early, because the classroom is empty and the lights are off.

Ver respuesta

Respuesta correcta: A) must

A) mustCorrect! 'Must have' plus a participle states a certain conclusion about a completed past action.
B) should'Should' would express a norm about leaving time, which the evidence does not address.
C) might'Might' would weaken a conclusion the empty room clearly supports.
D) can'Can' expresses capacity in the present, not a deduction about the past.

💡 Explicación

An empty room is a present sign of a past action, which is the definition of a deduction with 'must have' plus a participle.

Bloom: Analyze

A visitor arrives at a house and checks the driveway before knocking.

He ____ not be at home, because his car is not in the driveway.

Ver respuesta

Respuesta correcta: B) must

A) might'Might' would leave the conclusion open even though the evidence points one way.
B) mustCorrect! 'Must not' expresses a certain negative conclusion from the missing car.
C) can'Can' expresses capacity and cannot state a negative deduction in this structure.
D) would'Would' would require a conditional clause that is not present.

💡 Explicación

A certain negative conclusion takes 'must not'. Hedging with 'might' would be more cautious than the evidence requires.

Bloom: Evaluate

A cook checks a carton before adding it to a family meal.

The sauce smells strange and the date on the carton expired last month; it ____ be spoiled.

Ver respuesta

Respuesta correcta: C) must

A) might'Might' would understate the certainty that the expired date provides.
B) cannot'Cannot' would deny the spoilage that the smell and date support.
C) mustCorrect! 'Must' states a certain conclusion from two independent signs.
D) should'Should' would express an expectation about how long a carton stays fresh.

💡 Explicación

When several signs point the same way, 'must' is the modal that reports the conclusion the reader expects.

Bloom: Evaluate

A student complains about information that arrived too late.

You ____ have told me about the change of schedule; I waited an hour at the stop.

Ver respuesta

Respuesta correcta: D) should

A) must'Must' would state an obligation that the past narrative does not describe as broken.
B) can'Can' states capacity, which is irrelevant to the reproach.
C) would'Would' would form a conditional, and the second clause is the consequence, not a condition.
D) shouldCorrect! 'Should' expresses what was expected of the other person, and the speaker was let down.

💡 Explicación

Reproach for a past omission takes 'should have' plus a participle. The modal describes an expectation, not a rule.

Bloom: Evaluate

A friend reasons aloud about how a colleague managed to arrive home early in bad weather.

He ____ have taken the last bus, but he arrived home before eight, so he must have walked part of the way.

Ver respuesta

Respuesta correcta: A) should

A) shouldCorrect! 'Should' is the balanced modal to open a statement, while 'must' states the certain conclusion in the second clause.
B) must'Must' in the first clause would contradict the evidence given after the comma.
C) might'Might' would open a weak statement that the rest of the sentence contradicts.
D) can'Can' expresses capacity and cannot open a statement about a past journey.

💡 Explicación

Contrast between the expected and the certain requires two different modals: 'should' for the expected course of events and 'must' for the observed one.

Bloom: Analyze

A student notices a teacher opening several cupboards in a preparation room.

The teacher ____ be looking for the exam papers, because she has been searching in every drawer.

Ver respuesta

Respuesta correcta: B) must

A) might'Might' would weaken a conclusion that the repeated search clearly supports.
B) mustCorrect! 'Must be' plus a gerund states a certain present deduction about what somebody is doing now.
C) cannot'Cannot' would deny the search that the teacher is performing.
D) would'Would' would express a past habit or a conditional.

💡 Explicación

Present continuous deductions take 'must be' plus a gerund, because the action is unfinished at the moment of speaking.

Bloom: Evaluate

An office checks the list of candidates registered for a final examination.

He ____ have missed the last examination, since his name was not on the list of candidates.

Ver respuesta

Respuesta correcta: C) might

A) must'Must' would assert the absence as certain, which the list does not prove on its own.
B) cannot'Cannot' would deny that he missed it, and no reason indicates that.
C) mightCorrect! 'Might have' plus a participle leaves open the reason for the missing name.
D) should'Should' would express an expectation about registering for exams.

💡 Explicación

A missing name admits several explanations, so the honest modal is the hedged 'might have' rather than a certain 'must have'.

Bloom: Apply

A pedestrian notices the ground and an open umbrella beside a street.

Look, the pavement is wet and his umbrella is open; it ____ have rained in the last hour.

Ver respuesta

Respuesta correcta: D) must

A) will'Will' would place the rain in the future, which the wet pavement denies.
B) can'Can' expresses capacity and cannot be followed here by a conclusion about the past.
C) shall'Shall' is used for offers and formal statements, not for deduction.
D) mustCorrect! 'Must' with 'have' plus a participle states a certain conclusion about a recent past event.

💡 Explicación

'Must have' plus a participle is the standard form for a certain conclusion about a completed past action.

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