R24: Matching sentence endings

In this question type, you get the beginnings of several sentences, and a longer list of endings. You join each beginning to the right ending, so the full sentence matches what the passage says. It's like a puzzle. And like a puzzle, some pieces don't fit at all, which makes it easier.

Why this matters

Matching sentence endings tests two things at once: grammar and meaning. Many students only think about meaning. But grammar can remove half the options in seconds. Use both, and this becomes one of the more reliable question types.

How it's set up

• The sentence beginnings usually follow the order of the passage.
• There are more endings than beginnings. Some endings are never used.
• Each ending is used only once.

The method

1. Read the first beginning. Find the key idea.
2. Find it in the passage. Beginnings usually follow passage order, so start near the top.
3. Read the sentence carefully and predict how it ends, in your own words.
4. Remove endings that don't fit the grammar. Does it need a verb? A noun? Does it continue logically?
5. Choose the ending that matches the passage's meaning.

A worked example

Early cars were noisy, unreliable and expensive, so most people continued to travel by horse. This changed in 1908, when Henry Ford introduced the Model T. From 1913, it was built on a moving assembly line, so it could be produced quickly and sold at a lower price. Within a few years, car ownership had spread far beyond the wealthy.

Beginnings:

1. At first, most people preferred horses because
2. The Model T could be sold cheaply because
3. As a result of the Model T,

Endings:

• A. cars were faster than horses.
• B. it was made using a new production method.
• C. early cars had many problems.
• D. more ordinary people were able to own a car.
• E. Ford refused to sell it to the rich.

Why?

• 1: The passage says early cars were "noisy, unreliable and expensive". That's "many problems". A is never mentioned.
• 2: "Built on a moving assembly line" means "a new production method".
• 3: "Car ownership had spread far beyond the wealthy" means ordinary people could own one. E is a trap. It uses "rich", but says something the passage never says.

Grammar as a filter

Look at beginning 3: As a result of the Model T,. It needs a full clause after the comma, with a subject and verb. Endings A and D both have that shape. Endings B and C would also work grammatically, but only D matches the meaning. Sometimes grammar removes options. Sometimes it only narrows them. Either way, it helps.

Try it yourself

Many cities banned cars from their centres in the 1990s. Shop owners feared business would fall. In fact, most found that more people walked past their shops, and sales increased.

Beginning: Shop owners discovered that

• A. cars were still allowed at night.
• B. their sales went up.
• C. people preferred driving.

Honest note

Wrong endings are often true facts from somewhere else in the passage. Don't choose an ending just because it's true. It must match that beginning.

Your task today

Do one sentence endings block. Before choosing, write your own ending for each beginning, then compare.