Fill in the blank with the correct option:
On the last day of the book fair, ______ students came to the stalls with their parents.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → a great many
A great many with countable nouns:
- “A great many” means a very large number. It is used with plural nouns we can count.
- “Students” can be counted: one student, two students. So it takes “a great many”.
- Complete sentence: On the last day of the book fair, a great many students came to the stalls with their parents.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: a great deal of — Incorrect. “A great deal of” means a large amount. It is used only with nouns we cannot count. Example: Getting ready for the board exams takes a great deal of time.
Option 2: much — Incorrect. “Much” is used only with nouns we cannot count. Example: We did not get much rain this July.
Option 4: a large amount of — Incorrect. “A large amount of” is used only with nouns we cannot count. Example: The sweet shop uses a large amount of sugar during Diwali.