Modals In The Mystery Of The Mary Celeste

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| By Anne Agard
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Anne Agard
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1. The people who found the abandoned ship couldn't figure out what happened. In the context of the reading, this sentence

Explanation

The sentence "The people who found the abandoned ship couldn't figure out what happened" makes sense in the context of the reading because it implies that the individuals who discovered the ship were unable to determine the cause or reason behind its abandonment. This suggests that there may have been some mystery or unknown circumstances surrounding the ship's abandonment, which is a logical conclusion based on the given information.

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Modals In The Mystery Of The Mary Celeste - Quiz

Read this Wikipedia article about the Mary Celeste, and then answer the questions about it.
Choose the correct answer. Your score will the average of your... see moreattempts.
The Mary Celeste was an American merchant ship famous for having been discovered on 4 December 1872 in the Atlantic Ocean, unmanned and apparently abandoned (one lifeboat was missing, along with its 7 crew), although the weather was fine and her crew had been experienced and capable seamen. The Mary Celeste was in seaworthy condition and still under sail heading toward the Strait of Gibraltar. She had been at sea for a month and had over six months' worth of food and water on board. Her cargo was untouched and the personal belongings of passengers and crew were still in place, including valuables. The crew was never seen or heard from again. The Mary Celeste crew's disappearance is often cited as the greatest maritime mystery of all time.
The fate of her crew has been the subject of much speculation. Theories range from alcoholic fumes, to underwater earthquakes, to waterspouts, to paranormal explanations involving extraterrestrial life, unidentified flying objects (UFOs), sea monsters, and the phenomenon of the Bermuda Triangle, although the Mary Celeste is not known to have sailed through the Bermuda Triangle area. The Mary Celeste is often described as the archetypal ghost ship, since she was discovered derelict without see less

2. The families of the crew must have been very worried about them.In the context of the reading, this sentence 

Explanation

The families of the crew are not mentioned in the text. However, it is of course very likely that in this situation the families of the missing people were very worried.

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3. Some people think there might have been alcoholic fumes on the ship. In the context of the reading, this sentence

Explanation

The next states that some people guessed this.

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4. The ship couldn't have been attacked by robbers. In the context of the reading, this sentence 

Explanation

The text states that no valuables were taken from the ship. Therefore, we can be quite sure that it was not attacked by robbers.

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5. The abandoned ship must have been discovered in 1872.In the context of the reading, this sentence 

Explanation

It is a known fact that the abandoned ship was discovered in 1872. In this situation, we use the simple past tense. We do not use a past modal.

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6. The captain might have decided to abandon the ship.In the context of the reading, this sentence

Explanation

This seems very possible, but there is no way to know for sure if that's exactly what happened. Maybe he was forced to leave for some reason, if though he did not decided to. We just don't know. Therefore "might have," meaning that maybe in happened, is a sensible thing to say.

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7. The ship must have been attacked by a sea monster. In the context of the reading, this sentence

Explanation

"Must have" means that it probably (almost surely) happened. In the text, this is only one of several guesses, and not a very likely one since most people nowadays don't even believe in sea monsters. Therefore, it makes no sense to say that a sea monster was the probable explanation.

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8. The ship must have been very lucky. In the context of the reading, this sentence

Explanation

This sentence means that the ship was probably very lucky. The text tells as of a number of bad things that happened on and to this ship, so it sounds as if the ship was unlucky, and not lucky! Many students in the class missed this question, and I suspect they did not ready every word carefully enough. On a test, it is very important to take time to read the questions very, very carefully!

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9. The ship must have been attacked by a sea monster. In the context of the reading, this sentence 

Explanation

"Must have" means that it proboably (almost surely) happened. In the text, this is only one of several guesses, and not a very likely one since most people nowadays don't even believe in sea monsters. Therefore, it makes no sense to say that a sea monster was the probable explanation.

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10. The ship may have been wrecked off the coast of Haiti.In the context of the reading, this sentence

Explanation

The sentence "The ship may have been wrecked off the coast of Haiti" does not make sense in the context of the reading because there is no information provided in the reading that suggests the ship was wrecked off the coast of Haiti.

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The people who found the abandoned ship couldn't figure out what...
The families of the crew must have been very worried about them.In the...
Some people think there might have been alcoholic fumes on the ship....
The ship couldn't have been attacked by robbers. In the context of...
The abandoned ship must have been discovered in 1872.In the context of...
The captain might have decided to abandon the ship.In the context of...
The ship must have been attacked by a sea monster. In the context of...
The ship must have been very lucky. In the context of the reading,...
The ship must have been attacked by a sea monster. In the context of...
The ship may have been wrecked off the coast of Haiti.In the context...
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