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ESL forum > Ask for help > help with reading comprehension    

help with reading comprehension



perma
Greece

help with reading comprehension
 
Hi!
I �m using a B2 coursebook for which I haven �t got the teacher �s book yet, and there �s a question I �m not sure about. It �s an FCE style reading passage with multiple choice questions.
The text is about interrail and the part that interests us is: 

"The ticket quickly became very popular indeed, allowing young people to travel throughout Europe very cheaply"

And the question says:
The interrail ticket...
a) initially took some time to become popular
b) was an instant hit with young people

The other 2 options are irrelevant, so I �m not writing them here.
Which one would you choose and why? Both sound fine to me Confused 
Is "quickly" "some time" or "instant"???
How much time is "some time"???

Thanks for your help Smile

7 Oct 2012      





bibikos
Greece

hello to you too!

I �d say that the correct option is (b) as "an instant hit" would be translated as "sth that immediately became a hit".
I hope that helped you

7 Oct 2012     



serene
Greece

Hi Katerina,
In my opinion when something takes (some) time, it certainly doesn �t happen quickly. Look at an example from Merriam-Webster Learner �s Dictionary: It may take some time for the medication to wear off. I think the meaning is that the effects of the medication won �t disappear quickly.
Therefore I would choose the second option.

7 Oct 2012     



Lovely Lana
Greece

I agree, option b) sounds correct. For a) to be correct, I would expect something like "students didn �t like it at first but with the time they got used to it", in other words, there should be some kind of reference to the  fact that it wasn �t popular in the beginning.

7 Oct 2012     



yanogator
United States

Perma,
I agree with your hesitance to accept "instant" as the same as "quickly". "Instant" means essentially no time at all, while "quickly" takes a little time. However, "instant" is definitely closer to "quickly" than "some time" is.
 
Bruce

7 Oct 2012     



perma
Greece

Thanks everyone Hug

I �d choose B without hesitation Bruce, but I �m almost certain that some of my students will go for A and they will no doubt ask me why it �s not correct LOL

All your answers helped me a lot, thanks again!

7 Oct 2012     



efty charle
Cyprus

B is the right answer!
Evidence: quickly became popular = instant hit

8 Oct 2012