VERSANT Sentence Completion 4 — Questions and Answers

Question 1: Choose the best word to complete the sentence: 'She was so tired that she could _____ keep her eyes open.'

easily
barely (Correct answer)
clearly
strongly

Correct answer: barely

'Barely' means 'almost not at all,' which correctly expresses the extreme difficulty of keeping her eyes open due to tiredness.

'Barely' is an adverb meaning 'almost not' or 'only just.' In 'She was so tired that she could barely keep her eyes open,' it expresses that keeping her eyes open was extremely difficult — almost impossible. The structure 'so...that' creates a result clause expressing the consequence of her tiredness. 'Easily' would convey the opposite meaning, while 'clearly' and 'strongly' don't fit grammatically or logically.

Question 2: Complete the sentence: 'The company has decided to _____ its operations to three new countries next year.'

reduce
expand (Correct answer)
limit
maintain

Correct answer: expand

'Expand' means to grow or increase in size, which logically fits with extending operations to new countries.

'Expand' means to increase in size, number, or scope. 'Expand operations to three new countries' correctly conveys business growth. 'Reduce' and 'limit' convey the opposite of growth. 'Maintain' means to keep the same level, which contradicts the idea of adding new countries. 'Expand' is the only option that logically fits the context of entering new markets.

Question 3: Choose the correct word: 'He apologized _____ his behavior at the meeting yesterday.'

for (Correct answer)
of
about
with

Correct answer: for

The correct preposition after 'apologize' when referring to the cause of the apology is 'for.'

The fixed collocation is 'apologize for [something].' 'He apologized for his behavior' correctly uses the preposition 'for' to introduce the reason for the apology. Other prepositions (of, about, with) are not used with 'apologize' in standard English. This is a common fixed preposition pattern that must be memorized.

Question 4: Complete the sentence: 'Despite the heavy rain, the outdoor concert _____ as planned.'

cancelled
delayed
proceeded (Correct answer)
refused

Correct answer: proceeded

'Proceeded' means to continue or go forward with something, which makes sense after 'despite the heavy rain' (a contrast).

'Despite' introduces a concessive clause expressing contrast — something happened even though an obstacle was present. 'Proceeded' means to continue forward or carry on with a course of action, making it the logical completion: the rain was an obstacle, but the concert went ahead anyway. 'Cancelled' and 'delayed' would indicate the rain succeeded in stopping or postponing the event.

Question 5: Choose the best completion: 'The new policy will _____ all employees, regardless of their position.'

affect (Correct answer)
effect
infect
reflect

Correct answer: affect

'Affect' is the verb meaning to have an impact on or influence something, which is appropriate here.

'Affect' (verb) means to have an impact on something. 'Effect' is primarily a noun meaning a result. 'The policy will affect all employees' uses the verb 'affect' correctly: the policy will have an impact on employees. 'Infect' relates to disease transmission, and 'reflect' means to mirror or indicate something — neither fits the context. This is a commonly confused pair in English.

Question 6: Complete: 'She spoke to the audience _____ confidence, which impressed everyone in the room.'

with (Correct answer)
in
by
from

Correct answer: with

'With confidence' is the correct prepositional phrase meaning she demonstrated confidence while speaking.

The prepositional phrase 'with + noun' is used in English to describe the manner or quality with which an action is performed. 'She spoke with confidence' means confidence was present in her manner of speaking. 'In confidence' means secretly/privately (a different meaning). 'By confidence' and 'from confidence' are not standard collocations in this context. 'With' is the correct preposition here.

VERSANT Sentence Completion 4

Choose the best word to complete the sentence: 'She was so tired that she could _____ keep her eyes open.'