Basics of adjective-noun collocations. 45 questions on strong, heavy, high/low, deep, close, and sharp collocations in everyday contexts.
What this test covers
- strong and heavy collocations
- high, low, and deep collocations
- close and sharp collocations
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All 45 questions with answers
Pick an answer for each question to see if you are right, with the explanation. Submit when you are done; you can submit before answering them all.
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Q1The traffic was so ___ that we arrived at the office an hour late.
Answer: B. heavy
Use 'heavy' to describe traffic when there are a lot of cars and movement is very slow. We do not say 'high' or 'strong' for traffic.
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Q2Which sentence is correct?
Answer: D. He has a deep affection for his grandmother.
Use 'deep' to describe strong feelings that come from your heart, like love or affection. We don't use 'wide' or 'sharp' for emotions.
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Q3I have a ___ headache after sitting at my computer all day.
Answer: B. sharp
A 'sharp' headache feels like a sudden, pointed pain. It is a very common way to describe physical pain. We don't say 'heavy' or 'high' for this.
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Q4Given the shortage of workers, it is ___ priority for the company to hire new staff this month.
Answer: A. a high
When something is very important and needs to be done first, we call it a 'high priority.' The shortage of workers makes hiring urgent. We don't say 'big' or 'heavy' priority, and 'low priority' is contradicted by the shortage context.
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Q5Which sentence is correct?
Answer: C. They had a close call during the storm.
A 'close call' is an expression used when something bad almost happened, but you were lucky and escaped. We do not say 'near call' or 'sharp call.'
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Q6After the long meeting, the manager took a ___ breath.
Answer: A. deep
When you fill your lungs with a lot of air, you take a 'deep breath.' We don't say 'heavy breath' or 'high breath.'
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Q7She has a very ___ personality and is not afraid to speak her mind.
Answer: B. strong
Someone with a 'strong personality' is confident and has firm ideas. We use 'strong' for character, not 'high' or 'heavy.'
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Q8Which sentence is correct?
Answer: D. We need to keep a low profile at the meeting.
To 'keep a low profile' means you try not to let people notice you or what you are doing. We don't use 'small' or 'heavy' for this expression.
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Q9The ___ wind blew the trees down during the night.
Answer: A. strong
We use 'strong' to describe wind that has a lot of power. We don't use 'sharp' or 'deep' for wind.
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Q10The economy is facing a ___ decline in sales this quarter.
Answer: C. sharp
A 'sharp decline' means a very fast and large drop in numbers. We don't say 'low decline' or 'heavy decline.'
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Q11Which sentence is correct?
Answer: C. She is a heavy smoker.
Someone who smokes a lot of cigarettes every day is called a 'heavy smoker.' We don't say 'strong smoker' or 'deep smoker.'
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Q12I have a ___ friend who lives in Tokyo.
Answer: A. close
A 'close friend' is someone you know very well and care about a lot. Words like 'high' or 'heavy' are not used for friendship.
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Q13The coffee is too ___ for me; I need to add some more water.
Answer: A. strong
If coffee has a very powerful taste, we call it 'strong coffee.' If it has too much water, it is 'weak.' We don't use 'deep' or 'heavy' for taste.
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Q14Which sentence is correct?
Answer: A. The teacher has high expectations of her students.
If you want someone to do very well, you have 'high expectations.' We use 'high' for standards or levels of hope. We don't say 'deep' or 'heavy' expectations.
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Q15The ___ rain flooded the streets near the school.
Answer: C. heavy
When it rains a lot, we call it 'heavy rain.' We don't use 'sharp' or 'high' for rain.
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Q16He has a ___ understanding of the new software after the training.
Answer: D. deep
If you know a subject very well and understand all the details, you have a 'deep understanding.' We don't say 'high' or 'heavy' understanding.
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Q17Which sentence is correct?
Answer: A. There is a sharp contrast between the two designs.
A 'sharp contrast' is a very clear and obvious difference between two things. We don't use 'thick' or 'heavy' for this.
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Q18The company is under ___ pressure to improve profits.
Answer: C. high
When you have a lot of stress and must succeed, you are under 'high pressure.' We don't say 'sharp' or 'deep' pressure.
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Q19We are working on a ___ budget, so we cannot afford expensive flights.
Answer: C. low
A 'low budget' means you do not have much money to spend. We use 'high' and 'low' for amounts of money, not 'heavy' or 'strong.'
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Q20Which sentence is correct?
Answer: A. The soldiers were in deep sleep.
'Deep sleep' means you are sleeping very soundly and it is hard to wake you up. We don't say 'strong sleep' or 'high sleep' in English.
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Q21The ___ attention to detail in his work is impressive.
Answer: D. close
To pay 'close attention' means to look at something very carefully to see every small part. We use 'close' for this type of focus.
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Q22She has a ___ accent, making it difficult to understand her sometimes.
Answer: B. heavy
If someone has a very strong accent that is easy to notice, we call it a 'heavy accent.' We don't say 'high' or 'sharp' accent.
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Q23Which sentence is correct?
Answer: B. The salary for this job is very high.
We use 'high' for a salary that pays a lot of money and 'low' for a small salary. We do not use 'strong' or 'heavy' for pay.
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Q24I have a ___ feeling that we will win the game.
Answer: B. strong
A 'strong feeling' is a powerful emotion or a clear idea that something will happen. We don't say 'high feeling' or 'heavy feeling.'
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Q25The doctor expressed ___ concern about the patient's health.
Answer: C. deep
'Deep concern' means the doctor is very worried about a serious situation. We use 'deep' for strong, serious emotions.
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Q26Which sentence is correct?
Answer: D. There is a sharp rise in temperatures this summer.
A 'sharp rise' is a very quick and large increase in something. We don't say 'heavy rise' or 'deep rise' for temperature.
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Q27The student has a ___ mind and solves problems quickly.
Answer: A. sharp
Someone with a 'sharp mind' is very intelligent and thinks fast. We use 'sharp' to mean clever. We don't say 'high mind' or 'heavy mind.'
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Q28The workload is quite ___ during the final week of the term.
Answer: B. heavy
A 'heavy workload' means you have many tasks to finish. We use 'heavy' because it feels like a weight you have to carry. We don't say 'strong' or 'deep' workload.
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Q29Which sentence is correct?
Answer: A. They have a close relationship.
A 'close relationship' means two people know each other well and are very good friends. We don't say 'wide' or 'high' relationship.
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Q30The ___ risk of failure makes the project dangerous.
Answer: A. high
When there is a big chance something bad will happen, there is a 'high risk.' We use 'high' and 'low' for levels of risk.
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Q31He had a ___ argument with his brother last night.
Answer: D. heated
A 'heated argument' is one where people are very angry. We use the word 'heated' because people get hot when they are mad. We don't say 'deep' or 'heavy' argument.
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Q32Which sentence is correct?
Answer: D. This is a high quality product.
We use 'high quality' for things that are made very well. We use 'high' and 'low' to talk about quality.
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Q33The ___ burden of debt was difficult for the family.
Answer: B. heavy
A 'burden' is a difficult problem. We use 'heavy' to describe it because it feels like a heavy weight. We don't say 'sharp' or 'high' burden.
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Q34She was ___ in thought and did not hear me enter.
Answer: B. deep
When you are 'deep in thought,' you are concentrating so hard that you don't notice things around you. We don't say 'high' or 'heavy' in thought.
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Q35Which sentence is correct?
Answer: A. There is a strong smell of flowers in the room.
We use 'strong' to describe a powerful smell. We don't say 'deep' or 'high' for smells.
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Q36The ___ resemblance between the twins is amazing.
Answer: C. close
A 'close resemblance' means two people look almost exactly the same. We don't say 'sharp' or 'heavy' resemblance.
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Q37We must maintain ___ standards in our laboratory tests.
Answer: B. high
'High standards' means you only accept the very best quality. We use 'high' for standards, not 'heavy' or 'deep.'
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Q38Which sentence is correct?
Answer: D. He felt a sharp pain in his leg.
A 'sharp pain' is a common way to describe a sudden, strong feeling of hurt. We don't say 'vast pain' or 'high pain.'
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Q39The concert is sold out, so there is a ___ demand for these tickets.
Answer: B. high
When a concert is sold out, many people want the tickets, so there is a 'high demand' for them. 'Low demand' contradicts the sold-out context. We use 'high' and 'low' for demand, not 'deep' or 'sharp'.
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Q40He expressed his ___ sorrow for the loss of his friend.
Answer: D. deep
'Deep sorrow' means feeling very, very sad. Like 'deep love,' we use 'deep' for strong emotions. We don't say 'high' or 'heavy' sorrow.
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Q41Which sentence is correct?
Answer: B. The police issued a heavy fine for speeding.
A 'fine' is money you pay as punishment. If the amount is very large, it is a 'heavy fine.' We don't say 'deep' or 'strong' fine.
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Q42I have a ___ sense of humor.
Answer: A. sharp
Someone with a 'sharp sense of humor' is quick and clever at making jokes. We don't say 'heavy' or 'close' sense of humor.
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Q43They had a very ___ meal before traveling.
Answer: A. heavy
A 'heavy meal' is a lot of food that makes you feel very full. A small meal is a 'light meal.' We don't say 'strong' or 'high' meal.
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Q44Which sentence is correct?
Answer: C. We need a close examination of the facts.
A 'close examination' means looking at something very carefully to find all the details. We don't say 'strong' or 'heavy' examination.
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Q45The ___ snow made it impossible to drive.
Answer: D. heavy
When a lot of snow falls, we call it 'heavy snow.' This is the same way we describe 'heavy rain.' We don't say 'high' or 'sharp' snow.
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