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Question

Difficulty: EasyModal Auxiliaries and Expressing Modality

Read the sentence below:
'The students _______ submit their final projects by noon yesterday, but the server crashed unexpectedly.'

Which of the following options correctly completes the sentence?

  1. were supposed toAnswer
  2. B
    must to
  3. C
    should had
  4. D
    might can

Answer

were supposed to
The phrase 'were supposed to' correctly expresses a past expectation or obligation that was scheduled to happen before the unexpected event occurred. It fits both the past temporal context ('yesterday') and grammatical requirements.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the sentence context and tense requirement
The event refers to a past expectation ('yesterday') that was interrupted or left unfulfilled.
The sentence requires a semi-modal structure or past modal construction expressing past obligation or expectation.
2
Evaluate the grammatical validity of modal auxiliary structures
'Were supposed to' is grammatically correct for past obligation, whereas options introducing double modals ('might can'), bare infinitive errors ('must to'), or mis-inflected auxiliaries ('should had') violate standard English rules.
Modal auxiliaries must follow strict complementation rules in English.

Key Concept

Expressing Past Obligation and Modal Auxiliary Constraints
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Topics

Modal Auxiliaries and Expressing Modality

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