IMO Practice Test — Fill in the Blanks (Competitive)
10 Questions • 20 min • Olympiad level
20:00
Question 1 of 10
Fill both: 'The decision was ___, yet its ___ remained unclear.'
bold … impact
weak … success
bold … success only
poor … failure
Explanation: 'yet' contrasts a bold decision with an unclear impact.
Question 2 of 10
Fill: 'No sooner had the gates opened ___ the crowd surged in.'
when
than
then
that
Explanation: 'No sooner … than'.
Question 3 of 10
Fill (precise): 'Despite his ___ manner, he was actually quite shy.'
timid
confident
nervous
quiet
Explanation: 'Despite … actually quite shy' implies an outwardly confident manner.
Question 4 of 10
Fill both: 'The report ___ several flaws but ___ no solutions.'
identified … proposed
hid … proposed
identified … hid
ignored … offered
Explanation: 'but' contrasts identifying flaws with offering no solutions.
Question 5 of 10
Fill: 'Scarcely had we sat down ___ the lights went out.'
than
when
then
that
Explanation: 'Scarcely … when'.
Question 6 of 10
Fill (logic): 'She is ___ to deadlines; ___, her work is always late.'
indifferent … consequently
committed … therefore
committed … however
indifferent … however
Explanation: Being indifferent to deadlines causes late work → 'indifferent … consequently'.
Question 7 of 10
Fill: 'It is essential that every member ___ the meeting.'
attends
attend
attended
will attend
Explanation: Mandative subjunctive → base 'attend'.
Question 8 of 10
Fill both: 'The medicine, though ___, proved ___ for most patients.'
expensive … effective
cheap … harmful
expensive … harmful
cheap … effective
Explanation: 'though' contrasts a drawback (expensive) with a benefit (effective).
Question 9 of 10
Fill: 'He spoke with such ___ that the audience was moved.'
passion
passionate
passionately
passions
Explanation: 'with such + noun + that': 'such passion that'.
Question 10 of 10
Fill (vocabulary): 'The witness gave a ___ account, leaving out key facts.'
thorough
selective
honest
detailed
Explanation: 'leaving out key facts' signals a 'selective' account.