- The reason __________ he failed the exam is that he didn’t study hard enough.
In this sentence, we are using a noun clause as the object of the preposition “reason.” The correct word to use here is “that,” which introduces a restrictive relative clause that provides essential information about the reason. The options “why,” “which,” and “because” do not fit the grammatical structure of a restrictive relative clause following “reason.”
Answer: B. that
- The question __________ he raised at the meeting was very important.
This sentence is using a relative clause to modify “the question.” Since “the question” is a specific object and the clause provides essential information about it, we use “that” to introduce the clause. “Which” is used for non-restrictive relative clauses that provide additional information.
Answer: B. that
- He told me the news __________ I had been looking forward to.
Here, we have a relative clause modifying “the news.” The clause provides essential information about the specific news that he told, so “that” is the correct choice. “What” can be used in this context, but “that” is more commonly used for this purpose.
Answer: B. that
- The book __________ you gave me yesterday is very interesting.
In this case, “the book” is the subject of the relative clause, and “that” is used to introduce the clause that modifies “the book.” “Which” can also be used, but “that” is more appropriate when the clause is essential to the meaning of the sentence.
Answer: B. that
- The time __________ he came back was very late.
The relative clause here modifies “the time” and provides essential information about when he came back. “That” is used to introduce the clause, while “when” is a subordinating conjunction used to introduce an adverbial clause of time.
Answer: B. that