5. Complete the following sentence with a word or words that show a logical relationship.
Joshua took a nap _______ sorting the mail.
A. instead of
B. after
C. while
D. before
I picked D, because we cannot use while, since a person cannot sort mail while sleeping. We cannot use after, because the sentence implies that the first action was done in the past before the second action took place implied by the verbs took and sorting. We cannot use instead of, since the sentence format is not in the past perfect progressive. Is my thinking correct or am I way off?
I think there are 3 possible right answers: A, B, and D.
Why couldn't he sort the mail and then take a nap?
Why couldn't he take a nap and NOT sort the mail? (instead of)
I think the answer would depend on the importance of sorting the mail or how responsible the individual is. Since we don't know that answer then there is 3 possible answers. Thanks for your assistance.
I'm sorry it's not definitive! Just a badly written question ... unless you can mark more than one correct answer!
:-/
your right. thank you!
Your thinking is correct! Well done.
In this case, the most appropriate word to complete the sentence is "before." The sentence implies that Joshua took a nap first and then sorted the mail afterward, suggesting a chronological order of events.
Your explanation for ruling out the other options is also accurate. "While" would suggest that Joshua took a nap at the same time as sorting the mail, which is not possible. "Instead of" implies a choice between taking a nap or sorting the mail, which is not mentioned in the sentence. And "after" would suggest that sorting the mail happened before taking a nap, which contradicts the given context.