WREN & MARTIN's English grammar-10 MCQs on Interrogative Pronouns, Compound Interrogative Pronouns and Their Usages

 

10 MCQs on Interrogative Pronouns, Compound Interrogative Pronouns and Their Usages

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1. "*___ * is responsible for the damage caused to the school property during the lunch break?" — Choose the correct interrogative pronoun.

• A) Which
• B) Whom
• C) Whose
• D) Who

Answer: D) Who ("Who" is the correct interrogative pronoun here because it asks about the identity of a person and functions as the subject of the verb "is responsible" — "who" is the nominative or subject form of the interrogative pronoun referring to persons — it is used when the answer expected is the name or identity of a person performing an action.)

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2. "*___ * of the two candidates do you think is better suited for the position of team leader?" — Choose the correct interrogative pronoun.

• A) Who
• B) Whom
• C) Whose
• D) Which

Answer: D) Which ("Which" is the correct interrogative pronoun here because it asks for a choice or selection from a limited and defined group of two candidates — "which" is used when the question involves selecting from a specific or restricted set of options — it can refer to both persons and things and implies a choice between known alternatives.)

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3. "*___ * did the principal call to her office to discuss the incident that occurred yesterday?" — Choose the correct interrogative pronoun.

• A) Who
• B) Which
• C) Whose
• D) Whom

Answer: D) Whom ("Whom" is the correct interrogative pronoun here because it functions as the object of the verb "call" — "whom" is the objective or accusative form of the interrogative pronoun referring to persons — it is used when the pronoun is the object of a verb or preposition — a useful test is to substitute "him" or "her" — if the substitution works "whom" is correct.)

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4. "*___ * bag was found lying unattended near the entrance of the examination hall?" — Choose the correct interrogative pronoun.

• A) Who
• B) Whom
• C) Which
• D) Whose

Answer: D) Whose ("Whose" is the correct interrogative pronoun here because it asks about ownership or possession — "whose" is the possessive form of the interrogative pronoun and can refer to both persons and things — it functions here as an interrogative adjective modifying the noun "bag" and asking to whom the bag belongs.)

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5. "*___ * caused the sudden power failure that disrupted the examination for over an hour?" — Choose the correct interrogative pronoun.

• A) Whom
• B) Whose
• C) Which
• D) What

Answer: D) What ("What" is the correct interrogative pronoun here because it asks about the cause of the power failure which is a thing or event not a person — "what" is used to ask about things actions reasons or non-human entities — it differs from "who" in that it refers to things or abstract causes rather than to specific individuals.)

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6. "To *___ * should I address the complaint regarding the poor quality of service at the institution?" — Choose the correct interrogative pronoun.

• A) who
• B) which
• C) whose
• D) whom

Answer: D) whom ("Whom" is the correct interrogative pronoun here because it follows the preposition "to" — when an interrogative pronoun follows a preposition the objective form "whom" must always be used — "to who" is grammatically incorrect in formal usage — the preposition "to" is placed before "whom" in formal writing though informally it may be placed at the end.)

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7. "Whatever happens during the course of the investigation, she has promised to tell the complete truth." — What type of pronoun is "whatever"?

• A) Simple relative pronoun
• B) Distributive pronoun
• C) Compound interrogative pronoun
• D) Demonstrative pronoun

Answer: C) Compound interrogative pronoun ("Whatever" is a compound interrogative pronoun formed by adding "-ever" to the simple interrogative pronoun "what" — compound interrogative pronouns include "whoever" "whomever" "whichever" "whatever" and "whosoever" — they are used to express emphasis generalisation or indefiniteness and introduce noun clauses functioning as subjects or objects.)

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8. "Whoever could have left such a large amount of money unattended in the middle of the busy marketplace?" — What is the function of "whoever" in this sentence?

• A) It functions as the object of the verb "left"
• B) It functions as the subject of the verb "could have left"
• C) It functions as a possessive pronoun modifying "money"
• D) It functions as an adverb modifying the verb "left"

Answer: B) It functions as the subject of the verb "could have left" ("Whoever" is a compound interrogative pronoun that functions as the subject of the verb "could have left" — it expresses surprise or bewilderment about the identity of an unknown person — "whoever" in interrogative usage emphasises astonishment and is equivalent to "who on earth" or "what person could possibly have.")

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9. "Whichever route you choose to take, make sure that you reach the venue well before the ceremony begins." — What is the function of "whichever" in this sentence?

• A) It functions as a simple relative pronoun referring to the venue
• B) It functions as a demonstrative pronoun pointing to a specific route
• C) It functions as a compound interrogative pronoun introducing a concessive clause
• D) It functions as a distributive pronoun referring to each route individually

Answer: C) It functions as a compound interrogative pronoun introducing a concessive clause ("Whichever" is a compound interrogative pronoun that introduces a concessive adverbial clause meaning "no matter which route" — it indicates that the choice of route does not affect the outcome of arriving on time — "whichever" combines the meaning of "which" with the generalising suffix "-ever" to convey that any option from a defined set is acceptable.)

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10. "Which of the following sentences correctly uses a compound interrogative pronoun?"

• A) Who she met at the conference was a famous diplomat and statesman.
• B) Whoever did she think she was talking to so rudely and disrespectfully?
• C) Whomever you choose for the position must have the relevant experience and qualifications.
• D) Whatever did they find in that old abandoned house at the end of the deserted road?

Answer: D) Whatever did they find in that old abandoned house at the end of the deserted road? (This sentence correctly uses "whatever" as a compound interrogative pronoun to express surprise or strong curiosity about what was found — it emphasises astonishment and is equivalent to "what on earth did they find" — option B incorrectly uses "whoever" instead of "who" option A uses "who" as a relative pronoun and option C uses "whomever" correctly but as a relative rather than interrogative pronoun.)