Complete the sentence: There is ___ little time before the exam!

Complete the sentence: There is ___ little time before the exam!

• A. Very
• B. So
• C. Much
• D. Many

Answer: (B)

Expressing quantity for uncountable nouns and emphasizing scarcity is what this item tests. Time is uncountable, so we use little to describe a small amount, and to stress how small that amount is, we often put a degree word before it. So time becomes: There is so little time before the exam! The stronger emphasis of so conveys urgency more clearly than other options. While very little time would also be understood, this context favors the sharper emphasis that so provides. Much time isn’t the right fit here because it would suggest a larger amount, and many isn’t used with time at all since time is uncountable.

Expressing quantity for uncountable nouns and emphasizing scarcity is what this item tests. Time is uncountable, so we use little to describe a small amount, and to stress how small that amount is, we often put a degree word before it. So time becomes: There is so little time before the exam! The stronger emphasis of so conveys urgency more clearly than other options. While very little time would also be understood, this context favors the sharper emphasis that so provides. Much time isn’t the right fit here because it would suggest a larger amount, and many isn’t used with time at all since time is uncountable.