Question

Fill in the blank with a suitable modal.
Our train leaves in two minutes! We ______ hurry.
a) Would
b) Have to
c) Must
d) Don’t have to

Answer 1

Hint: Examples of modal verbs are “might”, “must”, “can”, etc. which are used with another verb. It usually denotes that something which should/could have been done but has not happened yet.

Complete answer:
The question has given talks about the train leaving in 2 minutes. So they have to hurry. Let us see which option is correct.
Option a is wrong because using “would” in a sentence implies something that was about to happen. I would have gone to school but did not. There is a condition and a situation that follows it. In the given sentence, using the word would make it sound incomplete.
Option b is wrong simply because it is not a modal verb. Since the question asks for a modal, we have to select a word which is also a modal. Just because the meaning of the sentence does not change on using this option, does not mean it is the correct answer.
Option c is the correct answer because “must” is a modal verb. It also shows the urgency of the situation where they must hurry because the train will leave in 2 minutes.
Option d is completely wrong because the option is given in the negative. Using this option will not keep the meaning of the sentences consistent. It is important that they hurry.

Note:
There is a chance of confusion between options b and c. For this reason, it is important to know which are modal verbs and which are not. Just because an answer fits in a sentence and is not grammatically correct, does not mean it is the correct answer.