Select the option that completes the sentence CORRECTLY. I don't think you…
2017
Select the option that completes the sentence CORRECTLY.
I don't think you will have ________ difficulty in obtaining your driving license.
- A.
some
- B.
any
- C.
a great deal
- D.
many
Attempted by 4 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept:
In English, the quantifier chosen before a noun depends on the clause's polarity and on whether the noun is countable or uncountable. The non-assertive quantifier “any” is the standard choice in negative and non-affirmative contexts (after a negative word such as not, never, or after “I don't think…”). “Some” is the assertive counterpart used in plain affirmative statements and offers, while “many” combines only with plural countable nouns.
Application:
The sentence is “I don't think you will have ____ difficulty in obtaining your driving license.” The main clause carries the negation “I don't think,” so the slot sits in a non-affirmative context. The noun “difficulty” here means trouble/hardship in general, which is uncountable (mass) in this sense. A non-affirmative context with an uncountable noun calls for the non-assertive quantifier, giving “you will have any difficulty.”
Contrast with the other choices:
“some” is the assertive form for plain affirmative statements; it does not fit a clause governed by the negation “I don't think.”
“a great deal” would require the linker “of” (“a great deal of difficulty”), so it is incomplete as written and also overstates a negative prediction.
“many” attaches only to plural countable nouns, but “difficulty” here is uncountable, so “many difficulty” is ungrammatical.
Result: The sentence is completed correctly by “any” — “I don't think you will have any difficulty in obtaining your driving license.”