Question 1
The office lights are still on at midnight, and several computers are running. Someone _____ working late to meet the project deadline.
Options: must be, can't be, might have been
Guessing What Happened
This is a fill-in-the-blank exercise. Click on each blank and choose the correct answer from the dropdown. Some sentences may have more than one blank, so make sure you complete all of them. Use modal verbs (e.g., must, might, could, can’t) to make deductions and speculations about workplace situations based on the clues given.
Practice 1 of 2
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Question 2
Tom's desk is completely empty and his nameplate is gone. It's possible that he _____ resigned or been transferred recently.
Options: must have, might have, can't have
Question 3
Sarah's presentation file shows it was last modified at 3 a.m. She _____ stayed up all night to finish it.
Options: might be, can't have, must have
Question 4
The conference room is fully set up with 50 chairs, name tags, and presentation equipment. They _____ expecting a large meeting later today.
Options: could have been, must be, can't be
Question 5
Jake's computer is locked and his coffee is cold. He _____ away from his desk for quite a while.
Options: must have been, might be, can't have been
Question 6
Maria's out-of-office reply says she's away all week and not checking emails. She _____ on annual leave this week.
Options: might have been, must be, can't be
Question 7
David logged in from home this morning and said he has a high fever. He _____ feeling well enough to come to the office today.
Options: can't be, must be, might have been
Question 8
There are three candidates waiting outside the HR office, interview schedules posted on the door, and staff calling candidates in one by one. The company _____ conducting interviews today.
Options: might have, must be, can't be
Question 9
The financial report has been revised three times this morning due to multiple corrections and inconsistencies. There _____ some errors in the original version.
Options: must have been, can't be, might be
Question 10
Rachel's project folder contains 50 very different design versions with major changes. She _____ experimenting with many different ideas before choosing the final one.
Options: might be, can't be, must have been
Question 11
The security log shows the alarm was deactivated and work was completed before Monday morning. Someone _____ over the weekend to finish urgent work.
Options: must have come in, might have come in, can't have come in
Question 12
The contract was signed and returned within an hour, and the client confirmed they want to start immediately without any delays. The client _____ very eager to start the project.
Options: might have, must be, can't have been
Practise Guessing What Happened with this interactive fill-in-the-blank exercise of 12 questions. Choose the option that correctly completes each sentence, then submit to check your answers and get instant feedback on every choice.
Practising grammar in real sentences — rather than memorising rules in isolation — is one of the most effective ways to make a structure stick. You can retry as many times as you like to build accuracy and confidence using Guessing What Happened in everyday English.
Looking for more practice? See all exercises for this lesson.