Semi-modals Practice Test — Advanced

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.

1. Q1Regarding company policy, you ___ submit all expense reports by Friday.

   Aare about to Bare entitled Care meaning that Dare supposed to

   Answer: D. are supposed to

   The semi-modal 'be supposed to' indicates an obligation based on external rules or institutional requirements. 'Are entitled' describes a right or privilege rather than a duty, and it would require a following 'to' + base form to be grammatically complete. 'Are meaning that' is an incorrect active phrasing for 'are meant to' (intention), and 'are about to' describes an action in the immediate future rather than a standing policy.

2. Q2We ___ respect the confidentiality of our clients as a matter of professional ethics.

   Aare able to Bare meant to Cought to Dare about to

   Answer: C. ought to

   'Ought to' is the semi-modal that expresses moral or ethical obligation based on the speaker's own sense of duty. 'Are able to' describes capacity or ability, not an ethical requirement. 'Are meant to' suggests designed purpose rather than a voluntary moral obligation. 'Are about to' signals an action in the immediate future, which does not fit an ongoing professional standard.

3. Q3Original utterance: 'You are supposed to be at the meeting by 9 AM.' Reported: The manager said that I ___ at the meeting by 9 AM.

   Awas supposed to be Bwas meant to be Chad been supposing to be Dam supposing be

   Answer: A. was supposed to be

   Reported speech with a past-tense reporting verb ('said') requires backshifting the primary auxiliary. The present-tense semi-modal 'are supposed to' shifts to the past-tense 'was supposed to.' 'Was meant to be' changes the nuance from expectation to intended purpose. 'Am supposing be' and 'had been supposing to be' are ungrammatical; 'suppose' in this context functions as a past participle in a passive-like structure, not a continuous verb.

4. Q4This new software ___ simplify the inventory process, though it has some bugs.

   Ais supposing to Bis meant to Cis bounding to Dis abouting to

   Answer: B. is meant to

   'Be meant to' describes the intended purpose or design of an object. 'Is supposing to' is a malformed version of the passive 'is supposed to.' Both 'is bounding to' and 'is abouting to' are morphological errors; 'bound' and 'about' function as adjectives in these semi-modal structures and cannot take the '-ing' suffix.

5. Q5You ___ park your vehicle in the loading zone; it is strictly prohibited.

   Aare not supposed to Bare not bounding to Care not meaning to Dare not meant to

   Answer: A. are not supposed to

   The negative semi-modal 'are not supposed to' expresses a prohibition based on established regulations. 'Are not meant to' generally refers to a lack of purpose or design intent rather than a rule of conduct. 'Are not bounding to' and 'are not meaning to' are grammatically invalid formations.

6. Q6Given the current market trends, the company ___ experience significant growth this quarter.

   Ais meant to Bis about to Care supposing to Dis bound to

   Answer: D. is bound to

   'Is bound to' expresses logical certainty, indicating that an outcome is perceived as inevitable based on current evidence. 'Is about to' indicates immediate imminence, which is less precise for a quarterly projection. 'Is meant to' suggests intention or purpose, which does not apply well to market-driven growth.

7. Q7You ___ consult the manual before attempting to repair the machine.

   Ashould Bare meant to Care bound to Dis supposing to

   Answer: A. should

   'Should' is a central modal used for advice or recommendation. The semi-modal 'are bound to' implies inevitability rather than suggestion. 'Is supposing to' is ungrammatical (subject-verb agreement error with 'you'). 'Are meant to' suggests the machine's design purpose rather than a recommended user action.

8. Q8The committee ___ meet next Tuesday to finalize the budget.

   Ais bound to Bis meant to Cis supposing to Dis due to

   Answer: D. is due to

   'Is due to' followed by an infinitive is the standard construction for expressing scheduled future events or official arrangements. 'Is bound to' expresses inescapable certainty. 'Is meant to' can imply an unfulfilled original intention, while 'is due to' objectively states the current schedule.

9. Q9Original utterance: 'You shouldn't ignore the safety warnings.' Reported: He advised that I ___ the safety warnings.

   Ashouldn't ignore Bwasn't meant to ignore Cought not ignore Dwasn't supposed to ignore

   Answer: A. shouldn't ignore

   The modal 'should' does not typically undergo backshifting in reported speech. 'Wasn't supposed to' and 'wasn't meant to' change the meaning from a direct recommendation to a description of a past expectation. 'Ought not ignore' is missing the required 'to' particle for the semi-modal 'ought to'.

10. Q10This emergency exit ___ open automatically if the alarm sounds.

    Ais abouting to Bis bounding to Cis supposing to Dis meant to

    Answer: D. is meant to

    'Is meant to' describes the intended function or design performance of a mechanism. 'Is abouting to' and 'is bounding to' are not valid English words. 'Is supposing to' is an incorrect active formation; the verb 'suppose' in this context must be passive ('is supposed to').

11. Q11They ___ launch the new campaign early next month.

    Aare bounding to Bare supposing to Care meaning to Dare set to

    Answer: D. are set to

    'Are set to' indicates that preparations are complete for a planned future event. 'Are meaning to' expresses a personal intention but lacks the official status of a scheduled launch. 'Are bounding to' and 'are supposing to' are morphological errors for 'are bound to' (certainty) and 'are supposed to' (expectation).

12. Q12Choosing the wrong candidate ___ cause long-term damage to the department.

    Ais bound to Bis supposing to Cis about to Dis meant to

    Answer: A. is bound to

    'Is bound to' expresses logical certainty regarding a future consequence, emphasizing its inevitability. 'Is about to' denotes imminence, which is too narrow for a long-term causal prediction. 'Is meant to' and 'is supposing to' are incorrect because they imply intention or social expectation.

13. Q13I ___ call you when I reached the office, but I got distracted.

    Awas bound to Bwas meaning that Cwas supposed to Dwas bounding to

    Answer: C. was supposed to

    'Was supposed to' describes a past intention or obligation that was not fulfilled. 'Was meaning that' is syntactically incorrect for expressing an intent to act. 'Was bound to' would imply the call was certain to happen, which contradicts the fact that it did not occur.

14. Q14We ___ leave for the airport in five minutes; the taxi is already waiting.

    Aare about to Bare meant to Care supposing to Dare bound to

    Answer: A. are about to

    'Are about to' indicates that an action is imminent (focusing on the immediate future). Given that the taxi is waiting, this expresses the necessary urgency. 'Are bound to' suggests logical certainty rather than immediate timing. 'Are meant to' fails to capture the temporal proximity required by the situation.

15. Q15Which sentence is correctly punctuated?

    AHe is meant to arrive, but, he is running late. BHe is meant to arrive but, he is running late. CHe is meant to arrive but he is running late. DHe is meant to arrive, but he is running late.

    Answer: D. He is meant to arrive, but he is running late.

    This is a compound sentence joined by the connecting word (like 'and', 'but', or 'so') 'but'. Standard punctuation requires a comma before 'but' when it connects two independent clauses. Placing a comma after 'but' or omitting it between independent clauses is incorrect.

16. Q16The CEO ___ announce the merger at the press conference today.

    Ais supposing to Bis bounding to Cis about to Dis meant to

    Answer: C. is about to

    'Is about to' indicates an event on the verge of occurring. In the context of a scheduled press conference, it highlights the imminence of the announcement. 'Is bounding to' and 'is supposing to' are grammatically invalid. 'Is meant to' implies an expectation that might not be met, whereas 'about to' focuses on immediate timing.

17. Q17Their success ___ continue, provided they maintain this level of investment.

    Ais bound to Bis due Cis meant to Dis bounding to

    Answer: A. is bound to

    'Is bound to' expresses a strong prediction of certainty based on a condition ('provided they...'). 'Is due' requires a following 'to' + infinitive (e.g., 'is due to continue'). 'Is meant to' suggests an original purpose or design, which is less fitting for a conditional prediction of success.

18. Q18Original utterance: 'The train is about to depart.' Reported: She mentioned that the train ___ depart.

    Awas meant to Bwas about to Cis abouting to Dwas bound to

    Answer: B. was about to

    When reported with a past-tense verb ('mentioned'), the present-tense semi-modal 'is about to' (imminent future) backshifts to 'was about to.' 'Was meant to' shifts the meaning to obligation. 'Was bound to' shifts the meaning to inevitability rather than imminence.

19. Q19This device ___ be handled with care; it is extremely fragile.

    Ais meaning to Bought Cis supposed to Dis bound to

    Answer: C. is supposed to

    'Is supposed to' is used to convey an instruction or an expectation of correct behavior. 'Ought' is a semi-modal that requires the 'to' particle ('ought to'). 'Is bound to' would predict that it will definitely be handled with care, whereas the context requires an instruction or rule.

20. Q20The construction project ___ be completed by the end of the fiscal year.

    Ais due to Bis meaning to Cis bound to Dis about to

    Answer: A. is due to

    'Is due to' followed by an infinitive is the standard construction for stating a scheduled completion date. 'Is bound to' suggests an inevitable result, which is too strong for a project schedule. 'Is meaning to' and 'is about to' are semantically inappropriate for a formal deadline.

21. Q21I ___ leave when the phone rang, interrupting my departure.

    Awas bounding to Bwas about to Cwas supposing to Dwas meaning that

    Answer: B. was about to

    'Was about to' denotes an action that was imminent in the past but was interrupted. 'Was meaning that' is syntactically flawed. 'Was supposing to' and 'was bounding to' are incorrect morphological realizations of 'supposed to' and 'bound to'.

22. Q22Which sentence is correct?

    AThe report is bound to be submit by noon. BThe report is due to be submitted by noon. CThe report is bound to be submitted by noon it is DThe report is bound to be submitting by noon.

    Answer: B. The report is due to be submitted by noon.

    'Is due to' is correctly followed by a passive infinitive ('be submitted') to indicate a formal deadline. 'Is bound to be submit' is ungrammatical because the passive requires a past participle ('submitted'). 'The report is bound to be submit...' contains a redundant pronoun ('it is') creating a run-on sentence. 'The report is bound to be submit...' incorrectly uses the continuous aspect for a specific point-in-time deadline.

23. Q23The software ___ detect errors in real-time.

    Ais abouting to Bis bound to Cis meant to Dis supposing to

    Answer: C. is meant to

    'Is meant to' specifies the intended function or design capability of the software. 'Is bound to' expresses a high degree of certainty that the software will succeed, but 'is meant to' is the standard way to describe its planned objective.

24. Q24You ___ be silent in the library; it's the house rule.

    Aare bound to Bare about to Care meaning to Dare supposed to

    Answer: D. are supposed to

    'Are supposed to' refers to obligations or behavioral expectations stemming from rules. 'Are about to' denotes imminence, 'are bound to' denotes inevitability, and 'are meaning to' implies personal intent—none of which fit a rule-based duty.

25. Q25The economy ___ recover if these policies remain in place.

    Ais bound to Bis bounding to Cis about to Dis meaning to

    Answer: A. is bound to

    'Is bound to' expresses a strong prediction of certainty based on a logical cause-and-effect relationship. 'Is meaning to' incorrectly suggests the economy has personal intent. 'Is about to' suggests recovery is imminent, which is too specific for a general conditional statement.

26. Q26I ___ tell you a secret, but I changed my mind.

    Awas about to Bwas supposing to Cwas bound to Dwas meant to

    Answer: A. was about to

    'Was about to' describes an imminent action from a past perspective that was abandoned. 'Was meant to' and 'was supposed to' imply an external expectation or a plan made by others, whereas 'about to' focuses on the speaker's own immediate readiness.

27. Q27All staff ___ attend the safety briefing on Monday.

    Aare required to Bare about to Care bound to Dare meaning to

    Answer: A. are required to

    'Are required to' is a formal semi-modal used to express mandatory obligation (official meaning) imposed by an authority. 'Are bound to' suggests certainty of occurrence rather than necessity. 'Are about to' lacks the sense of obligation required for an instruction.

28. Q28Employees ___ receive a bonus if the targets are met.

    Aare bounding to Bare supposing to Care expected to Dare about to

    Answer: C. are expected to

    'Are expected to' denotes a standard anticipation or a conditional promise in a professional context. 'Are about to' is incorrect because the bonus is contingent on future targets being met, not an action on the verge of happening.

29. Q29The board ___ approve the new strategy at the meeting.

    Ais set to Bare abouting to Care bounding to Dis supposing to

    Answer: A. is set to

    'Is set to' indicates that an event is planned and ready to happen. 'Is supposing to' and 'are abouting to' are morphosyntactic errors. 'Is set to' uses singular agreement for the collective noun 'board,' which is standard in formal American English.

30. Q30Under the contract, you ___ provide notice before resigning.

    Aare meant to Bare obliged to Care supposing to Dare certain to

    Answer: B. are obliged to

    'Are obliged to' expresses a formal, legal, or contractual requirement — the standard semi-modal for binding duties in a formal register. 'Are certain to' expresses a confident prediction about future events, not a contractual obligation. 'Are meant to' and 'are supposing to' are too informal for contractual language.

31. Q31Candidates ___ submit their applications before the deadline.

    Aare supposing to Bare meaning to Care bounding to Dare expected to

    Answer: D. are expected to

    'Are expected to' is used to communicate requirements or professional standards. 'Are meaning to' refers to personal intention. 'Are bounding to' and 'are supposing to' are incorrect forms of 'bound to' and 'supposed to'.

32. Q32The flight ___ land at 6:00 PM.

    Ais meant to Bis bound to Cis about to Dis due to

    Answer: D. is due to

    'Is due to' is the precise semi-modal for events occurring at a specific scheduled time. 'Is bound to' implies certainty but ignores the schedule. 'Is about to' implies the landing is imminent regardless of the clock.

33. Q33All participants ___ sign the waiver form.

    Aare about to Bare bound to Care meant to Dare required to

    Answer: D. are required to

    'Are required to' expresses a compulsory obligation necessary for participation. 'Are about to' (imminence), 'are meant to' (purpose), and 'are bound to' (certainty) do not capture the mandatory nature of a legal waiver.

34. Q34The legislation ___ be passed by the end of the session.

    Ais about to Bis meant to Cis bound to Dis set to

    Answer: D. is set to

    'Is set to' indicates that a formal process is underway and expected to finish. 'Is bound to' might be too strong for unpredictable political outcomes. 'Is about to' is too immediate for a deadline such as 'the end of the session'.

35. Q35You ___ access your health records online.

    Aare meant to Bare supposed to Care entitled to Dare bound to

    Answer: C. are entitled to

    'Are entitled to' denotes a legal or institutional right or privilege. 'Are bound to' (certainty), 'are meant to' (design intent), and 'are supposed to' (obligation) do not convey the sense of having a granted right to perform an action.

36. Q36Which sentence is correct?

    AThe committee is due to be debating the issue. BThe committee is due to debated the issue. CThe committee is due to debate the issue. DThe committee is due to debating the issue.

    Answer: C. The committee is due to debate the issue.

    The semi-modal 'be due to' is followed by the base form of the verb (an infinitive). 'Due to debate' is the correct standard structure. 'Debated' (past participle) and 'debating' (gerund) are ungrammatical after the infinitive marker 'to' in this context.

37. Q37The company ___ fulfill its promises to the shareholders.

    Ais about to Bis supposed to Cis obliged to Dis meant to

    Answer: C. is obliged to

    'Is obliged to' conveys a strong sense of moral, legal, or authoritative duty. 'Is supposed to' is weaker and often implies the obligation might be neglected. 'Is meant to' focuses on original intent rather than current pressure to act.

38. Q38Recent graduates ___ attend the orientation session.

    Aare bound to Bare meaning to Care about to Dare expected to

    Answer: D. are expected to

    'Are expected to' is used for communicating normative requirements. 'Are bound to' suggests they definitely will attend (prediction), 'are about to' suggests they are attending right now, and 'are meaning to' describes the graduates' own intentions.

39. Q39The renovation project ___ finish next month.

    Ais about to Bis due to Cis bound to Dis meaning to

    Answer: B. is due to

    'Is due to' is used to state a scheduled completion date. 'Is about to' indicates completion is moments away. 'Is bound to' expresses certainty that it will finish eventually, but lacks the specific reference to a schedule.

40. Q40Original utterance: 'You are required to wear a badge.' Reported: The security guard said that I ___ wear a badge.

    Awas meant to Bwas bound to Cwas required to Dam required to

    Answer: C. was required to

    Indirect speech requires backshifting the present-tense semi-modal 'are required to' to the past-tense 'was required to' when the reporting verb is in the past ('said'). 'Am required to' fails to backshift.

41. Q41Investors ___ withdraw their funds at any time.

    Aare meant to Bare entitled to Care supposed to Dare bound to

    Answer: B. are entitled to

    'Are entitled to' denotes a formal or contractual right. 'Are meant to' or 'are supposed to' would imply that withdrawal is an expectation or duty rather than a choice.

42. Q42The team ___ present their findings on Monday.

    Aare bounding to Bare about to Cis supposing to Dis set to

    Answer: D. is set to

    'Is set to' describes an event that has been arranged and is expected to occur. 'Are bounding to' and 'is supposing to' are morphological errors. 'Are about to' implies the presentation is happening immediately, not on a designated future day.

43. Q43You ___ pay the taxes by the deadline.

    Aare supposing to Bare meant to Care about to Dare obliged to

    Answer: D. are obliged to

    'Are obliged to' indicates a mandatory legal duty. 'Are meant to' and 'are supposing to' are insufficiently strong for legal mandates and carry connotations of intended purpose rather than strict legal necessity.

44. Q44The university ___ release the results on Friday.

    Ais due to Bis meaning to Cis supposing to Dis about to

    Answer: A. is due to

    'Is due to' is the appropriate semi-modal for an official schedule or predetermined date. 'Is meaning to' implies an unfinalized intent. 'Is supposing to' is a malformed version of the passive 'is supposed to'.

45. Q45The train ___ arrive at any moment now.

    Ais about to Bis bounding to Cis due to Dis meaning to

    Answer: A. is about to

    'Is about to' indicates an imminent future event (focusing on the immediate future), fitting the adverbial 'at any moment now'. 'Is due to' specifies a scheduled time but doesn't emphasize immediate arrival. 'Is meaning to' incorrectly attributes intent to an inanimate object.