Multiple choice

Fill blank (ii).

Directions: The following passage has some numbered blanks.

Naval architects never (i) ___ that a ship is unsinkable, but the sinking of the passenger-and-car ferry Estonia in the Baltic surely (ii) ____ have never (iii) ____. It was well (iv) ____ and carefully maintained. It carried the proper number of lifeboats. It (v) ____ thoroughly inspected on the day of its (vi) ____ voyage. Yet hours later, the Estonia rolled over and sank in a cold, stormy night. It went down so (vii) ____ that most of those (viii) ____, caught in their dark, flooding cabins, (ix) _____ no chance to save themselves. Of those who managed to (x) ____ overboard, only 139 survived. The rest died of (xi) _____ before the rescuers could pluck them from the cold sea.

  1. will

  2. would

  3. shall

  4. should

  5. could

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The auxiliary verb ‘should’ is used to express that one wishes something had happened but it did not or could not. In this context the reference is to the ‘sinking of the ferry’. Thus, this is the correct answer.