A teacher explains the meaning of common English modals to the class.
Choose the meaning that the modal verb must expresses when a speaker uses it for deduction.
Elige una opción para comprobar tu respuesta.
Respuesta correcta: A)Logical certainty that something is true
💡 Explicación
Must shows that the speaker draws a firm conclusion from clear evidence, as in the common pattern must be or must have.
Ver respuesta
Respuesta correcta: A)Logical certainty that something is true
A)Logical certainty that something is trueCorrect. Must expresses a conclusion drawn from strong evidence, so the speaker feels certain the idea is true.
B)Weak possibility that may never happenIncorrect. Weak possibility belongs to might or may, while must reports a firm and confident conclusion.
C)Prohibition of an action by a ruleIncorrect. Prohibition needs the negative form must not, whereas this meaning of must is affirmative.
D)A promise about a future actionIncorrect. Promises are made with will or shall, and must plays no role in promising.
💡 Explicación
Must shows that the speaker draws a firm conclusion from clear evidence, as in the common pattern must be or must have.
Pregunta 2
Pregunta 2 · D4Bloom: Remember
A student explains to a classmate how English modals rule things out.
Choose what cannot expresses when a speaker uses it to rule out an idea as impossible.
Elige una opción para comprobar tu respuesta.
Respuesta correcta: B)Certainty that an idea is impossible
💡 Explicación
Cannot is the negative twin of must in deduction: when the evidence destroys an idea, English rules it out.
Ver respuesta
Respuesta correcta: B)Certainty that an idea is impossible
A)Asking politely for permission to actIncorrect. Requests for permission use can or could, and cannot never performs that request function.
B)Certainty that an idea is impossibleCorrect. Cannot rules the idea out completely: the evidence convinces the speaker that it is impossible.
C)An ability someone had in the pastIncorrect. Past ability is expressed with could, while cannot works in the present to deny an idea.
D)A future arrangement between friendsIncorrect. Arrangements are described with going to or the present continuous, not with cannot.
💡 Explicación
Cannot is the negative twin of must in deduction: when the evidence destroys an idea, English rules it out.
Pregunta 3
Pregunta 3 · D3Bloom: Understand
Two classmates compare the strength of the English modals they know.
Choose the modal that expresses the weakest degree of possibility of the four listed here.
Elige una opción para comprobar tu respuesta.
Respuesta correcta: C)might
💡 Explicación
Might carries the least certainty of the four modals: it only opens a possibility, while must and cannot close the question.
Ver respuesta
Respuesta correcta: C)might
A)mustIncorrect. Must is the strongest of the four: it declares the idea almost certainly true.
B)cannotIncorrect. Cannot is a firm negative judgement, not a weak open possibility.
C)mightCorrect. Might only opens a possibility, so it sits at the bottom of the certainty scale.
D)shouldIncorrect. Should deals with advice and expectation, so it does not rank on the certainty scale at all.
💡 Explicación
Might carries the least certainty of the four modals: it only opens a possibility, while must and cannot close the question.
Pregunta 4
Pregunta 4 · D4Bloom: Understand
A student explains the use of should to a friend who is learning English.
Choose the meaning that should adds to a statement about the near future.
Elige una opción para comprobar tu respuesta.
Respuesta correcta: D)A reasonable expectation about what is probable
💡 Explicación
Should adds a reasonable expectation about the future, leaving a small margin in case the plan changes.
Ver respuesta
Respuesta correcta: D)A reasonable expectation about what is probable
A)An obligation imposed by a strict ruleIncorrect. Strict obligation is the territory of must or have to, and should is softer than both.
B)A guess about something completely impossibleIncorrect. Declaring something impossible is the work of cannot, never of should.
C)An ability the subject gained very recentlyIncorrect. New ability is expressed with can or be able to, and should says nothing about skills.
D)A reasonable expectation about what is probableCorrect. Should presents the event as a sensible expectation, as in the train should arrive soon.
💡 Explicación
Should adds a reasonable expectation about the future, leaving a small margin in case the plan changes.
Pregunta 5
Pregunta 5 · D4Bloom: Apply
Luis describes his long life in the Spanish capital.
Luis has lived in Madrid for ten years. Choose the modal that completes his deduction: He ... know the city very well.
Elige una opción para comprobar tu respuesta.
Respuesta correcta: A)must
💡 Explicación
The length of residence is the evidence, and must turns that evidence into a firm deduction about knowledge of the city.
Ver respuesta
Respuesta correcta: A)must
A)mustCorrect. Ten years of residence is strong evidence, so must states the confident deduction he must know.
B)might notIncorrect. Might not expresses doubt, but the long residence supports the opposite conclusion.
C)should notIncorrect. Should not predicts something unwise, and knowing a city well after ten years is neither.
D)cannotIncorrect. Cannot would deny the idea although the evidence clearly points in favour of it.
💡 Explicación
The length of residence is the evidence, and must turns that evidence into a firm deduction about knowledge of the city.
Pregunta 6
Pregunta 6 · D3Bloom: Apply
A visitor stands outside a house and reports what she can perceive.
The lights are on and music is playing inside. Choose the modal that completes the deduction: Someone ... be at home.
Elige una opción para comprobar tu respuesta.
Respuesta correcta: B)must
💡 Explicación
Strong present evidence raises a bare guess to a must deduction: lights and music make the presence near certain.
Ver respuesta
Respuesta correcta: B)must
A)cannotIncorrect. Cannot denies the presence of anyone, yet the lights and music point the other way.
B)mustCorrect. Lights and music are strong evidence of someone inside, so must reports the deduction.
C)shouldIncorrect. Should talks about what is expected in the future, not about a present deduction.
D)might notIncorrect. Might not weakens the claim, but such clear evidence deserves the stronger must.
💡 Explicación
Strong present evidence raises a bare guess to a must deduction: lights and music make the presence near certain.
Pregunta 7
Pregunta 7 · D4Bloom: Apply
The school staff list is published and Rosa reads it with her classmates.
Rosa is only ten years old. Choose the modal that completes the ruling-out sentence: She ... be the school director.
Elige una opción para comprobar tu respuesta.
Respuesta correcta: C)cannot
💡 Explicación
One decisive fact closes the possibility, and cannot is the modal English keeps exactly for that job.
Ver respuesta
Respuesta correcta: C)cannot
A)mustIncorrect. Must would assert the claim as almost certain, which her age flatly contradicts.
B)shouldIncorrect. Should discusses what is sensible to expect, not what is plainly impossible.
C)cannotCorrect. Her age makes the idea impossible, and cannot is the modal that rules possibilities out.
D)mightIncorrect. Might keeps the possibility open, but the fact of her age closes it.
💡 Explicación
One decisive fact closes the possibility, and cannot is the modal English keeps exactly for that job.
Pregunta 8
Pregunta 8 · D4Bloom: Apply
Two friends check the station timetable together in the morning.
The train leaves at eight and it is now seven. Choose the modal that completes the plan: We ... arrive at nine.
Elige una opción para comprobar tu respuesta.
Respuesta correcta: D)should
💡 Explicación
A regular timetable makes the arrival a reasonable expectation, which is precisely the meaning should adds.
Ver respuesta
Respuesta correcta: D)should
A)cannotIncorrect. Cannot denies the arrival completely, while the timetable supports it.
B)must notIncorrect. Must not treats the arrival as forbidden, which makes no sense for a planned trip.
C)might notIncorrect. Might not casts doubt on the plan although nothing threatens the journey.
D)shouldCorrect. A normal timetable makes the arrival the reasonable expectation, which should expresses.
💡 Explicación
A regular timetable makes the arrival a reasonable expectation, which is precisely the meaning should adds.
Pregunta 9
Pregunta 9 · D4Bloom: Apply
Pablo arrives home after a long walk through the rainy streets.
Pablo comes in holding a wet umbrella. Choose the modal that best completes the deduction about the past: It ... have rained.
Elige una opción para comprobar tu respuesta.
Respuesta correcta: A)must
💡 Explicación
Must have followed by a past participle reports a firm conclusion about a past event, here supported by the wet umbrella.
Ver respuesta
Respuesta correcta: A)must
A)mustCorrect. A wet umbrella is strong evidence of rain, and must have plus a participle reports that past conclusion.
B)could notIncorrect. Could not have rained denies the event, which the wet umbrella clearly contradicts.
C)shouldIncorrect. Should have expresses advice or regret about the past, not a deduction from evidence.
D)must notIncorrect. Must not have rained negates the deduction although the evidence points to rain.
💡 Explicación
Must have followed by a past participle reports a firm conclusion about a past event, here supported by the wet umbrella.
Pregunta 10
Pregunta 10 · D4Bloom: Apply
A classmate notices Marina's car and reports what he sees at the pool.
Marina's car is still in the car park, so she did not drive here. Choose the modal that completes the open possibility: She ... have walked to the pool.
Elige una opción para comprobar tu respuesta.
Respuesta correcta: B)could
💡 Explicación
Could have keeps a past possibility open when the evidence is mixed, without asserting that walking happened.
Ver respuesta
Respuesta correcta: B)could
A)cannotIncorrect. Cannot have walked closes the idea, but nothing in the scene rules it out.
B)couldCorrect. Could have presents walking as one open possibility among several, which fits the mixed evidence.
C)must notIncorrect. Must not have negates a deduction, while the scene merely leaves walking possible.
D)should notIncorrect. Should not have criticises a past action, and nobody here is being judged.
💡 Explicación
Could have keeps a past possibility open when the evidence is mixed, without asserting that walking happened.
Pregunta 11
Pregunta 11 · D4Bloom: Analyze
The family talks at dinner after a hard week of exams.
Diego looks exhausted after exams week. Choose the modal his sister needs to give gentle advice: You ... go to bed early tonight.
Elige una opción para comprobar tu respuesta.
Respuesta correcta: C)should
💡 Explicación
Advice uses should because the speaker recommends an action without forcing it, unlike the order that must imposes.
Ver respuesta
Respuesta correcta: C)should
A)mustIncorrect. Must turns advice into an order from the speaker, too strong for a gentle recommendation.
B)cannotIncorrect. Cannot forbids or denies an action, while the sister wants to encourage one.
C)shouldCorrect. Should frames rest as friendly advice, the normal choice when a family member recommends an action.
D)mightIncorrect. Might reduces the idea to a bare possibility and offers no recommendation at all.
💡 Explicación
Advice uses should because the speaker recommends an action without forcing it, unlike the order that must imposes.
Pregunta 12
Pregunta 12 · D4Bloom: Analyze
Marta searches her whole bag and every pocket of her jacket.
Marta is sure the keys are not in the drawer. Choose the sentence that expresses her negative deduction.
Elige una opción para comprobar tu respuesta.
Respuesta correcta: D)The keys cannot be in the drawer.
💡 Explicación
English splits the negative of deduction: must not usually forbids an action, while cannot denies that an idea is true.
Ver respuesta
Respuesta correcta: D)The keys cannot be in the drawer.
A)The keys might not be in the drawer.Incorrect. Might not leaves the possibility alive, while Marta is completely sure the keys are absent.
B)The keys should not be in the drawer.Incorrect. Should not signals that something is undesirable, not that it is impossible.
C)The keys must not be in the drawer.Incorrect. Must not normally states a prohibition, so it does not report certainty about the keys.
D)The keys cannot be in the drawer.Correct. In deduction the negative of must is cannot: full certainty that the idea is false.
💡 Explicación
English splits the negative of deduction: must not usually forbids an action, while cannot denies that an idea is true.
Pregunta 13
Pregunta 13 · D3Bloom: Analyze
Sofia explains to her mother why she arrived late to school.
Sofia missed the bus because she left home late. Choose the option that judges her past choice correctly.
Elige una opción para comprobar tu respuesta.
Respuesta correcta: A)She should have left earlier.
💡 Explicación
Should have plus a participle is the standard shape for judging a past choice that turned out badly.
Ver respuesta
Respuesta correcta: A)She should have left earlier.
A)She should have left earlier.Correct. Should have plus a participle expresses regret about the past: leaving earlier did not happen.
B)She must have left earlier.Incorrect. Must have left earlier asserts she did leave early, which contradicts the missed bus.
C)She cannot have left earlier.Incorrect. Cannot have left earlier claims leaving early was impossible, yet nothing stopped her.
D)She might not have left earlier.Incorrect. Might not have adds weak doubt about an action, but the sentence needs a clear judgement.
💡 Explicación
Should have plus a participle is the standard shape for judging a past choice that turned out badly.
Pregunta 14
Pregunta 14 · D4Bloom: Analyze
The librarian checks the cover of the returned book.
The borrowed book carries a return stamp from 2019 and nobody has renewed it. Choose the deduction that the evidence supports.
Elige una opción para comprobar tu respuesta.
Respuesta correcta: B)It must be overdue.
💡 Explicación
The modal must match the evidence: years without renewal support near certainty, so must is the honest choice.
Ver respuesta
Respuesta correcta: B)It must be overdue.
A)It might be overdue.Incorrect. Might treats the overdue status as a bare possibility, much weaker than the evidence allows.
B)It must be overdue.Correct. Years without renewal is strong evidence, and must states the near-certain conclusion.
C)It cannot be overdue.Incorrect. Cannot denies what the 2019 stamp clearly supports.
D)It should be overdue.Incorrect. Should describes what ought to happen, not what the stamp proves about the state now.
💡 Explicación
The modal must match the evidence: years without renewal support near certainty, so must is the honest choice.
Pregunta 15
Pregunta 15 · D4Bloom: Analyze
The lifeguard explains the pool rules to the new visitors.
A sign at the swimming pool bans all diving. Choose the option that reports the rule of the sign with a modal.
Elige una opción para comprobar tu respuesta.
Respuesta correcta: C)You must not dive here.
💡 Explicación
Written rules ban actions with must not, the modal of external obligation, not with advice or mere possibility.
Ver respuesta
Respuesta correcta: C)You must not dive here.
A)You might not dive here.Incorrect. Might not describes a mere possibility and cannot carry the force of a posted ban.
B)You should not dive here.Incorrect. Should not only advises against diving, while the sign states a binding rule.
C)You must not dive here.Correct. A posted rule is an external obligation, and must not is the standard modal for written bans.
D)You cannot have dived here.Incorrect. Cannot have judges a past event, but the sign speaks about present and future behaviour.
💡 Explicación
Written rules ban actions with must not, the modal of external obligation, not with advice or mere possibility.
Pregunta 16
Pregunta 16 · D3Bloom: Analyze
A colleague watches Carla's desk across the open office.
Carla has not answered her phone all morning. Choose the option that states one open possibility without asserting it.
Elige una opción para comprobar tu respuesta.
Respuesta correcta: D)She might be in a meeting.
💡 Explicación
Without solid evidence the speaker keeps the claim open, and might is the modal that hedges honestly.
Ver respuesta
Respuesta correcta: D)She might be in a meeting.
A)She must be in a meeting.Incorrect. Must asserts the meeting as near certain, but not answering gives no such proof.
B)She cannot be in a meeting.Incorrect. Cannot rejects the idea, yet a meeting is still perfectly possible.
C)She should be in a meeting.Incorrect. Should predicts where she ought to be instead of weighing what may be true.
D)She might be in a meeting.Correct. Might presents the meeting as one open possibility, matching the absence of evidence.
💡 Explicación
Without solid evidence the speaker keeps the claim open, and might is the modal that hedges honestly.
Pregunta 17
Pregunta 17 · D4Bloom: Evaluate
Elena opens the door of the classroom during the lunch break.
Elena finds the classroom empty at noon. Evaluate the four claims and choose the one that the evidence supports best.
Elige una opción para comprobar tu respuesta.
Respuesta correcta: A)The students must be at lunch.
💡 Explicación
Evaluating a claim means matching modal strength to the available evidence, and noon with an empty room reaches must.
Ver respuesta
Respuesta correcta: A)The students must be at lunch.
A)The students must be at lunch.Correct. Noon and an empty room are strong evidence for lunch, and must reports exactly that confidence.
B)The students cannot be at lunch.Incorrect. Cannot denies the lunch idea although the hour and the empty room support it.
C)The students should be at lunch.Incorrect. Should only says what is expected on a normal day; the visible evidence goes further.
D)The students might not be at lunch.Incorrect. Might not weakly doubts the claim, the opposite of what the empty room suggests.
💡 Explicación
Evaluating a claim means matching modal strength to the available evidence, and noon with an empty room reaches must.
Pregunta 18
Pregunta 18 · D4Bloom: Evaluate
The neighbour talks to the family about the night before.
A neighbour heard a strange noise at three in the morning. Evaluate the four claims and choose the one whose strength the evidence does not support.
Elige una opción para comprobar tu respuesta.
Respuesta correcta: B)It must have been a burglar.
💡 Explicación
A modal must never outrun its evidence: a single night noise supports may or could, but never the certainty of must.
Ver respuesta
Respuesta correcta: B)It must have been a burglar.
A)It may have been the wind.Incorrect to reject it: may keeps the claim inside the weak evidence, so the claim is sound.
B)It must have been a burglar.Correct. Must asserts near certainty, and one unexplained noise cannot support that strength.
C)It could have been a cat.Incorrect to reject it: could presents a cat as one possibility, which the thin evidence allows.
D)It might have been a passing car.Incorrect to reject it: might is as weak as may, so a passing car remains a fair open possibility.
💡 Explicación
A modal must never outrun its evidence: a single night noise supports may or could, but never the certainty of must.
Pregunta 19
Pregunta 19 · D3Bloom: Evaluate
Ivan and his friend talk about the driving school in their town.
Ivan's friend has failed the driving test twice. Evaluate the four responses and choose the one that gives the most reasonable advice.
Elige una opción para comprobar tu respuesta.
Respuesta correcta: C)You should practise with an instructor before the next attempt.
💡 Explicación
Reasonable advice pairs should with a concrete next step, while bans and denials misjudge the real situation.
Ver respuesta
Respuesta correcta: C)You should practise with an instructor before the next attempt.
A)You cannot have failed twice.Incorrect. Denying the failures ignores the facts the friend has just reported.
B)You might pass without any preparation.Incorrect. Promising a pass without preparation misstates probability and offers no real help.
C)You should practise with an instructor before the next attempt.Correct. Should plus a concrete action is measured advice that matches two failed attempts.
D)You must not drive ever again.Incorrect. A permanent ban is a disproportionate order, far beyond what two failures justify.
💡 Explicación
Reasonable advice pairs should with a concrete next step, while bans and denials misjudge the real situation.
Pregunta 20
Pregunta 20 · D4Bloom: Evaluate
Miguel reads his ticket at the museum entrance and checks his watch.
Miguel arrives at 10:40 and his ticket says entry was at 10:00. Evaluate the claims and choose the safest conclusion.
Elige una opción para comprobar tu respuesta.
Respuesta correcta: D)He might still get in if the staff agree.
💡 Explicación
The safest conclusion keeps possibility alive where certainty is unavailable, and only might does that here.
Ver respuesta
Respuesta correcta: D)He might still get in if the staff agree.
A)He must get in because the ticket is valid.Incorrect. Must overstates certainty, because a late arrival does not force the staff to open the door.
B)He cannot get in under any circumstance.Incorrect. Cannot closes the door completely, yet many museums still admit latecomers.
C)He should get in for free.Incorrect. Should asserts a rule the situation does not guarantee, such as a refund.
D)He might still get in if the staff agree.Correct. Might states the balanced judgement: entry stays possible but depends on the staff.
💡 Explicación
The safest conclusion keeps possibility alive where certainty is unavailable, and only might does that here.
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