What vs. Which – English Grammar Exercises for A1
Read the conversation snippets below. Imagine you are at the security office of your school or company to report a lost item. The security guard is asking you questions to help find your property and showing you some items they found. Choose the best word to fill in the blank.
1 Security Guard: Hello. ______ did you lose at the library today?
(A) Which
(B) How
(C) What
(D) Who
2 Security Guard: I have three black bags here. ______ bag is yours?
(A) What
(B) Which
(C) Whose
(D) Where
3 Security Guard: ______ color is the umbrella you left in the classroom?
(A) What
(B) Which
(C) How
(D) Who
4 Security Guard: Look at these two umbrellas. ______ one belongs to you?
(A) What
(B) How
(C) Who
(D) Which
5 Security Guard: ______ is the brand of your missing mobile phone?
(A) Which
(B) What
(C) How
(D) Who
6 Security Guard: We found an Apple phone and a Samsung phone. ______ phone is yours?
(A) What
(B) Where
(C) Which
(D) Whose
7 Security Guard: ______ time did you realize your wallet was missing?
(A) When
(B) Which
(C) How
(D) What
8 Security Guard: Here is a brown wallet and a black wallet. ______ wallet is yours?
(A) What
(B) Who
(C) Whose
(D) Which
9 Security Guard: ______ is inside your lost backpack right now?
(A) How
(B) What
(C) Which
(D) Why
10 Security Guard: We have two backpacks in this locker. ______ backpack has your name on it?
(A) What
(B) Which
(C) Who
(D) How
11 Security Guard: I need to write a report. ______ is your full name, please?
(A) How
(B) Which
(C) What
(D) Who
12 Security Guard: There are two student ID cards on the desk. ______ card has your photo?
(A) What
(B) Whose
(C) Which
(D) Who
13 Security Guard: ______ kind of keys did you lose, house keys or car keys?
(A) Which
(B) How
(C) What
(D) Who
14 Security Guard: I have two sets of keys. ______ set belongs to your car?
(A) What
(B) Which
(C) How
(D) Where
15 Security Guard: ______ does your lost jacket look like?
(A) How
(B) Which
(C) Why
(D) What
16 Security Guard: We have a blue jacket and a grey jacket here. ______ jacket is yours?
(A) What
(B) Who
(C) Which
(D) Whom
17 Security Guard: ______ is your phone number so we can contact you later?
(A) Which
(B) What
(C) How
(D) Who
18 Security Guard: We found two water bottles in the gym. ______ bottle did you leave there?
(A) What
(B) Which
(C) Who
(D) How
19 Security Guard: ______ were you doing when you lost your watch?
(A) How
(B) Which
(C) What
(D) Why
20 Security Guard: I have Box A and Box B for lost items. ______ box do you want to look inside first?
(A) What
(B) Which
(C) Where
(D) How
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (C) What
- Why it is correct (Key): The security guard is asking generally about what you lost (it could be a bag, a phone, a wallet, etc.). Because there is no limited list provided, this is an open question.
- Error Analysis: (A) Which is a Common Mistake (only used with a specific list of choices). (B) How is a Structural Error. (D) Who is a Meaning Trap (used for people).
2 (B) Which
- Why it is correct (Key): The guard places three black bags right in front of you (“three black bags here”). The choice is physically limited to these three items, so you must use “Which”.
- Error Analysis: (A) What is a Common Mistake. (C) Whose is a Meaning Trap (the question already asks “is yours”, so asking “Whose is yours” makes no logical sense). (D) Where is a Meaning Error.
3 (A) What
- Why it is correct (Key): To ask about a color generally (there are infinite colors in the world), English always uses “What color”.
- Error Analysis: (B) Which is a Common Mistake (you would only use “Which color” if the guard held up a color chart and asked “Which color of these two?”). (C) How and (D) Who are structurally incorrect.
4 (D) Which
- Why it is correct (Key): The guard is pointing to exactly two umbrellas (“these two umbrellas”). The choice is limited.
- Error Analysis: (A) What is a Common Mistake. (B) How and (C) Who are Structural/Meaning Errors.
5 (B) What
- Why it is correct (Key): Asking for the “brand” of a phone is an open question because there are hundreds of different phone brands in the world.
- Error Analysis: (A) Which is a Common Mistake. (C) How is a Structural Error. (D) Who is a Meaning Trap.
6 (C) Which
- Why it is correct (Key): The choice is strictly locked to two specific phones mentioned by the guard: an Apple phone or a Samsung phone.
- Error Analysis: (A) What is a Common Mistake. (B) Where is a Meaning Error. (D) Whose is a Meaning Trap.
7 (D) What
- Why it is correct (Key): To ask for a specific hour on the clock, the correct English phrase is always “What time”.
- Error Analysis: (A) When is a Meaning Trap (“When did you realize” is correct, but combining it into “When time” is absolutely incorrect). (B) Which and (C) How are Structural Errors.
8 (D) Which
- Why it is correct (Key): There are only two wallets on the desk (a brown wallet and a black wallet). The choice is clearly limited.
- Error Analysis: (A) What is a Common Mistake. (B) Who and (C) Whose are Meaning Traps.
9 (B) What
- Why it is correct (Key): Asking about the items inside a backpack is an open question; the answer could be books, pens, money, keys, etc.
- Error Analysis: (C) Which is a Common Mistake. (A) How and (D) Why are grammatically incorrect in this context.
10 (B) Which
- Why it is correct (Key): There are exactly two backpacks in the locker. The guard is asking you to identify one of them.
- Error Analysis: (A) What is a Common Mistake. (C) Who and (D) How are Meaning Errors.
11 (C) What
- Why it is correct (Key): When asking for a name, the fixed and only correct structure in English is “What is your name?”.
- Error Analysis: (A) How is a classic Common Mistake (direct translation error from other languages). (B) Which is a Structural Error. (D) Who is a Meaning Trap.
12 (C) Which
- Why it is correct (Key): There are two student ID cards right on the desk. The options are physically limited.
- Error Analysis: (A) What is a Common Mistake. (B) Whose and (D) Who are Meaning Traps.
13 (C) What
- Why it is correct (Key): Asking about the “kind of keys” is asking for a general category.
- Error Analysis: (A) Which is a Common Mistake. (B) How and (D) Who are Structural Errors.
14 (B) Which
- Why it is correct (Key): The guard is holding two specific sets of keys in their hand. The choice is limited to those two items.
- Error Analysis: (A) What is a Common Mistake. (C) How and (D) Where are Meaning Errors.
15 (D) What
- Why it is correct (Key): To ask for a physical description or identifying features of an object, the standard English structure is always “What does it look like?”.
- Error Analysis: (A) How is a very Common Mistake (learners often incorrectly translate “How does it look”). (B) Which is a Structural Error. (C) Why is a Meaning Error.
16 (C) Which
- Why it is correct (Key): The choice is restricted to exactly two jackets: a blue jacket or a grey jacket.
- Error Analysis: (A) What is a Common Mistake. (B) Who and (D) Whom are Meaning Traps.
17 (B) What
- Why it is correct (Key): To ask for a phone number (which has millions of possible combinations), we use the open question “What is your phone number”.
- Error Analysis: (A) Which is a Common Mistake. (C) How is a Structural Error. (D) Who is a Meaning Error.
18 (B) Which
- Why it is correct (Key): The guard is presenting two specific water bottles found in the gym. You must point out one of them.
- Error Analysis: (A) What is a Common Mistake. (C) Who and (D) How are Structural Errors.
19 (C) What
- Why it is correct (Key): Asking about an action (“were you doing”) is a completely open-ended question.
- Error Analysis: (A) How is a translation error. (B) Which is a Structural Error. (D) Why does not fit the context naturally (“Why were you doing” sounds awkward compared to asking for the action itself).
20 (B) Which
- Why it is correct (Key): The options are firmly locked to two choices: Box A or Box B.
- Error Analysis: (A) What is a Common Mistake caused by not paying attention to the two specific options provided. (C) Where and (D) How are Meaning Errors.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
When you are at a security office trying to claim a lost item, choosing correctly between What and Which at the A1 level depends entirely on the number of choices available in the moment:
- Use WHAT for General Declarations (Unlimited Choices):
- When the guard asks you what you lost, what color it is, or what brand it is—before showing you any items—these are open questions. Use What.
- Example: “What did you lose?” (I could have lost anything in the world).
- Example: “What color is your bag?” (There are many colors).
- Use WHICH for Visual Confirmation (Limited Choices):
- When the guard takes 2 or 3 items out of a box and puts them on the desk, the choices are now physically locked. You must use Which.
- Example: “Which bag is yours, the black one or the red one?” (You can only choose from these two).
- Example: Look at these phones. “Which one is yours?”
- Fixed Phrases (Never translate word-by-word):
- Asking for a Name / Phone Number: Always use “What is…” (Never How is).
- Asking for the Time: Always use “What time” (Never When time).
- Asking for a Physical Description: Always use “What does it look like” (Never How does it look like).