Question

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate determiner.
___________ people think that modernisation is another name for development.

• A. A lot of
• B. A lot many
• C. A little few
• D. None of these

Answer 1

Answer: (A)

The determiner, 'a lot of' means 'a large number or amount of'. It can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns. The noun, 'people' is a countable noun in plural form (singular form being 'person'). Hence, this is an appropriate determiner which can be used in the given blank and option B is correct.

The determiner 'many' also means 'a large number of'. The phrase 'a lot many' given in option A is a combination of the two determiners, 'a lot' and 'many'. As both mean the same, they cannot be used one after another as a single determiner. It is an incorrect usage and hence, option A is incorrect.

The phrase, 'a little' is a determiner which means 'some' or 'a small amount'. It is used with uncountable nouns. The determiner, 'few' means 'not many' or 'almost none'. The phrase, 'a little few' given in option C is a combination of these two determiners which have different meanings. It is an incorrect usage and conveys no meaning. Hence, option C is incorrect.

Option D is incorrect as option B is the correct answer.