MODAL VERBS
Exercise 4: Choose the best answer:
1. Hiking the trail to the peak _____ be dangerous if you are not well prepared
for dramatic weather changes. You _____ research the route a little more
before you attempt the ascent.
a. might / can b. may / mustn’t c. can / should d. must / needn’t
2. He is unreliable. What he says _____ be believed.
a. cannot b. must not c. may not d. might not
3. I was reading the book last night before I went to bed. I never took it out
of this room. It _____ be lying around here somewhere. Where _____ it be?
a. might / needn’t b. can / should
c. shouldn’t / may d. must / can
4. When you have a small child in the house, you _____ leave small objects
lying around. Such objects _____ be swallowed, causing serious injury or
even death.
a. should / must b. should not / might c. needn’t / may d. mustn’t /
can’t
5. Frank’s wallet is lying on the coffee table. He _____ it here last night.
a. must have left b. should have left c. must be leaving d.
needn’t leave
6. Jenny’s engagement ring was precious! It ______ have cost a fortune.
a. must b. should c. can d. needn’t
7. You ____ take your umbrella along with you today. It _____ rain later on this
afternoon.
a. ought to / mustn’t b. needn’t / will
c. will / must d. should / might
8. I ____ be at the meeting by 10:00. I will probably _____ take a taxi if I want
to be on time.
a. must / have to b. may / must c. should / needn’t d.
mustn’t / shouldn’t
9. The television isn’t working. It ____ during the move.
a. should have been damaged b. needn’t be damaged
c. must have been damaged d. ought not be damaged
10. John failed again. He _____ harder.
a. must have tried b. should have tried
c. can tried d. may have tried
11_______ I borrow your lighter for a minute? – Sure, no problem. Actually,
you ____ keep it if you want to.
a. May / can b. Must / might c. Will / should d. Might / needn’t
12. Ted’s flight from Amsterdam took more than 11 hours. He ____ exhausted
after such a long flight now.
a. must be b. must be being c. must have been d. should
have been
13. The lamp _____ be broken. Maybe the light bulb just burned out.
a. should not b. might not c. must not d. will not
14. Keep quiet. You ______ talked so loudly in here. Everybody is working.
a. may b. must c. might d. mustn’t
15. I have done this math problem at least twenty times, but my answer is
wrong according to the answer key. ________.
a. The answer in the book should be wrong!
b. The book needn’t have a wrong answer.
c. There is a wrong answer in the book.
d. The answer in the book must be wrong!
16. When I was a child, as we were having dinner, my grandmother always
used to say, “____”
a. One must not eat with one’s mouth open.
b. You should have eaten with your mouth open.
c. Open your mouth and eating.
d. One needn’t open his mouth to eat.
17. __________ We have still got plenty of food.
a. You should have bought some more to eat.
b. You needn’t have gone to the supermarket.
c. We must have bought some more food.
d. May I go to the supermarket?
18. John passed his exam with his distinction.
a. he was too lazy to succeed b. he can’t have studied very hard
c. he must have studied very hard d. he needs studying harder
19. ________. We got there far too early.
a. We needn’t have hurried b. We should hurry up
c. Hurry up or we will be late d. We must have walked hurriedly
20. You ______ lunch. We have already eaten.
a. need preparing b. needn’t have prepared
c. should prepare d. should have prepared
21. If I had gone to the University of Miami, I _____ in their Spanish immersion
program.
a. should participate b. needn’t participate
c. could have participated d. must have participated
22. I will do everything. You _____ do anything unless you really want to.
a. may b. needn’t c. must d. ought to
23. _____ you open the window, please? It is so hot in here.
a. May b. Might c. Could d. Need
24. You must never take your helmet off while you are riding a motorcycle.
a. If you are riding a motorcycle, you needn’t wear a helmet.
b. When you riding a motorcycle, wearing a helmet is a must.
c. You needn’t wear a helmet whenever you riding a motorcycle.
d. Helmets must be worn at all times when you riding a motorcycle.
25. John was not here yesterday. Perhaps he was ill.
a. John needn’t be here yesterday because he was ill.
b. Because of his illness, John should have been here yesterday.
c. John might have been ill yesterday, so he was not here.
d. John must have been ill yesterday, so he was not here.
26. I took a sweater but it was not necessary.
a. I needn’t have taken a sweater b. It was too necessary for me to
take a sweater
c. I should have taken a sweater d. I must have taken a sweater
27. If I were you, I would take the train instead of the bus.
a. You should have taken the train instead of the bus.
b. You should take the train instead of the bus.
c. I advise you to take the bus.
d. You must have taken the train instead of the bus.
28. Maybe I will do well in my next English test.
a. I will have to do well in the next English test.
B. I must do well in the next English test.
c. I will surely do well in my comingEnglish test.
D. I might do well in my next English test.
29. They probably won’t need French for their future job.
a. They are unlikely to need French for the job in the future.
b. They will not need French for their job at all.
c. They should use French for their job in the future.
d. Perhaps they will need French at work in the future.
30. I don’t think they will be here late.
a. Perhaps they will not be here late. B. They could not come here
late.
c. Certainly they will come late. D. They definitely will not
come here late.
31. I am sure Sue will like the gift.
a. I don’t know why Sue likes the gift. C. Sue must have liked the
gift
b. I believe that Sue will not like the gift. D. Sue will definitely like the
gift.
32. I suppose they are very tired. They have been working all morning.
a. They can be very tired due to working all morning.
b. Because they have been working hard they are now very tired.
c. They must be very tired as they have been working all morning.
d. They were very tired because of a hard working morning.
33. He seems to be busy at the moment.
a. Perhaps he is busy at the moment. B. He is surely very busy
now.
c. I am sure he is busy now. D. He was very busy at the
moment.
34. It is unlikely that Ellie will invite Matt to her graduation party.
a. Ellie invited Matt to go to her graduation party.
b. Ellie will not invite Matt to her graduation party.
c. Ellie may not invite Matt to her graduation party.
d. Ellie definitely will not invite Matt to her graduation party.
35. They bought much more flowers than they should.
a. They bought a lot of flowers. B. Many flowers will be
bought
c. They should not have bought so many flowers. D. They could buy
fewer flowers.
36. Perhaps the government will introduce a new law on tax soon.
a. The government will introduce a new law on tax soon.
b. A new law on tax may be introduced soon.
c. It is time for the government to introduce a new law on tax.
d. I believe that the government should introduce a new law on tax.
37. They needn’t have got up that early.
a. They didn’t have to get up early so they did not.
b. They needed to get up very early.
c. They got up early because they had to.
d. They didn’t have to get up early but they did.
38. Bill could have asked his parents to buy him a sports car.
a. Bill could ask his parents to buy him a sports car but he didn’t.
b. Bill asked his parents to buy him a sports car as he could.
c. Perhaps Bill could ask his parents to buy him a sports car.
d. Bill’s parents bought him a sports car.
39. It is impossible to smile properly if you don’t feel like it.
a. If you like smiling, you should smile properly.
b. You can’t smile properly if you don’t feel like it.
c. If it is possible, you should smile properly.
d. You must know how to smile properly.
40. Body language does not always mean what you think it does.
a. What body language says is what we always mean.
b. We always know what our body language means.
c. Body language should mean what you want it to do.
d. Body language can sometimes do things we don’t think it does.
41. The forest will probably be damaged.
a. It is impossible that the forest will be damaged.
b. They will damage the forest.
c. The forest is damage.
d. It is likely that the forest will be damaged
42. The mother asked her son to go home before 9.30.
a. The mother allowed her son to go home after 9.30.
b. “ You can go home before 9.30”, the mother said to her son.
c. “ You must go home before 9/30”, the mother told her son.
d. “ You could have gone home before 9.30”, the mother told her son.
43. Water and air are necessary for humans to live.
a. Perhaps we need water and air to survive. b. We can live without
water and air.
c. Humans need water and air to live. d. We may need water
and air to exist.
44. We should study Mars to see if life ever existed there.
a. It is a good idea to study Mars to see if life ever existed there.
b. Perhaps we could study Mars to see if life exists there.
c. We have to study Mars if we want to know if life existed there.
d. We must study Mars to see whether life ever existed there.
45. From the evidence from the camera, there were four people in the bank
then.
a. There might have been four people in the bank at that time.
b. At least 4 people are in the bank.
c. There must have been 4 people in the bank then.
d. They could be 4 people in the bank then.