Complex Conditional Structures Exercise
Complete the 12 sentences below. Choose the best answer for each one.
1. Unless the board reverses its decision by Friday, the merger ............... before the end of the
quarter.
would not go ahead
will not go ahead
had not gone ahead
2. Had the data been checked more carefully, the anomaly would ............... before publication.
have been spotted
be spotted
3. Provided that each witness remains available, the inquiry ............... within six weeks.
can be concluded
could have been concluded
had been concluded
4. If you were to disclose the source now, the entire investigation ............... compromised.
would be
will be
5. Were the software to fail during the launch, backup systems ............... automatically.
would activate
activated
will have activated
6. If the species is deprived of light for long enough, it ............... dormant as a survival mechanism.
would become
becomes
7. Even if the minister ............... personally, the committee would still demand an independent
review.
were to apologise
had apologised
apologises
8. Had it not been for the interpreter's intervention, the negotiations would ............... in complete
confusion.
have ended
end
9. So long as the temperature remains below zero, the vaccine ............... stable during transport.
would remain
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Complex Conditional Structures Exercise
had remained
will remain
10. If the report had been less ambiguous, investors ............... so sharply to the announcement.
might not have reacted
do not react
would not react
11. Should any participant wish to withdraw, their data ............... be removed from the final analysis
immediately.
would
will
12. If it had not been for her insistence on a second trial, the flaw in the prototype ...............
undetected.
would remain
remains
might have remained
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Complex Conditional Structures Exercise
Answers
Unless the board reverses its decision by Friday, the merger will not go ahead before the end of the
quarter.
Had the data been checked more carefully, the anomaly would have been spotted before publication.
Provided that each witness remains available, the inquiry can be concluded within six weeks.
If you were to disclose the source now, the entire investigation would be compromised.
Were the software to fail during the launch, backup systems would activate automatically.
If the species is deprived of light for long enough, it becomes dormant as a survival mechanism.
Even if the minister were to apologise personally, the committee would still demand an independent
review.
Had it not been for the interpreter’s intervention, the negotiations would have ended in complete
confusion.
So long as the temperature remains below zero, the vaccine will remain stable during transport.
If the report had been less ambiguous, investors might not have reacted so sharply to the
announcement.
Should any participant wish to withdraw, their data will be removed from the final analysis
immediately.
If it had not been for her insistence on a second trial, the flaw in the prototype might have remained
undetected.
[Link]