Complete the 12 sentences below. Choose the best answer for each one.
1The committee postponed the launch despite ............... of short-term losses.
Wrong!
After 'despite', a noun phrase is needed, so the correct nominalized form is "the high probability".
2Before approving the merger, the board questioned the ............... of integrating two incompatible data systems.
Wrong!
The determiner 'the' before an 'of' phrase calls for a noun, so "feasibility" is correct.
3Her ............... to disclose the preliminary figures made the auditors more suspicious, not less.
Wrong!
A possessive determiner such as 'her' must be followed by a noun, so the nominalized form "reluctance" is required.
4The revised contract leaves no ............... about who owns the intellectual property.
Wrong!
The phrase 'no ... about' requires a noun, and the nominalization is "ambiguity".
5The judge reminded the jury of the ............... of the witness's private opinions.
Wrong!
After 'of the', the sentence needs a noun naming the quality, so "irrelevance" is correct.
6The negotiator underestimated their ............... to criticism during the televised debate.
Wrong!
The possessive 'their' needs a noun phrase, so the nominalized form "sensitivity" fits.
7Several residents praised the ............... of the response after the flood warning was issued.
Wrong!
The noun phrase after 'praised the' must name a quality, so "promptness" is correct.
8The analyst noticed the anomaly early because of his ............... of seasonal distortions in the data.
Wrong!
'Because of his' must be followed by a noun phrase, so "awareness" is the correct nominalization.
9His sudden ............... of the claim surprised colleagues who had expected further doubts.
Wrong!
An adjective such as 'sudden' modifies a noun, so the required nominalized form is "certainty".
10Opposition members did not question the aim of the policy, but they did question the ............... of its enforcement.
Wrong!
The object of 'question' is a noun phrase, so the nominalized form "effectiveness" is needed.
11What impressed the investors was not the initial forecast but the ............... to revise it when new evidence emerged.
Wrong!
After 'the', the sentence needs a noun that can take an infinitive complement, so "willingness" is correct.
12The procurement process now has a degree of ............... that was absent under the previous administration.
Wrong!
The phrase 'a degree of' is followed by a noun naming a quality, so "transparency" is correct.
Done.
Score: 0/12
Answers
- The committee postponed the launch despite the high probability of short-term losses.
- Before approving the merger, the board questioned the feasibility of integrating two incompatible data systems.
- Her reluctance to disclose the preliminary figures made the auditors more suspicious, not less.
- The revised contract leaves no ambiguity about who owns the intellectual property.
- The judge reminded the jury of the irrelevance of the witness’s private opinions.
- The negotiator underestimated their sensitivity to criticism during the televised debate.
- Several residents praised the promptness of the response after the flood warning was issued.
- The analyst noticed the anomaly early because of his awareness of seasonal distortions in the data.
- His sudden certainty of the claim surprised colleagues who had expected further doubts.
- Opposition members did not question the aim of the policy, but they did question the effectiveness of its enforcement.
- What impressed the investors was not the initial forecast but the willingness to revise it when new evidence emerged.
- The procurement process now has a degree of transparency that was absent under the previous administration.
