Question

Fill in the blank with a suitable modal:
It’s my mother’s birthday tomorrow. I________________ buy her a present.

a) Must
b) Used to
c) Shouldn’t
d) Don’t have to

Answer 1

Hint: The blank should be filled with something that indicates that the gift has to be bought or given. The sentence indicates the necessity of the gift to be given.

Complete answer:

 Option a ‘Must’ is the correct option. ‘Must’ signifies compulsion or something that is necessary for a reason. The reason in the given statement is the mother’s birthday and for this, the speaker must buy her a present.
Option b ‘Used to’ indicates a usual process or something is done in the past. The sentence inclines towards the need to fulfilling something for the mother because it is her birthday. So, this option is incorrect.
Option c ‘Shouldn’t’ is the incorrect option. ‘Shouldn’t’ means something must not be done according to moral standards. It is obvious to buy a gift for the birthday and the sentence has the same motive. So, this option is incorrect.
Option d ‘Don’t have to’ indicates that there is no need to do something and the motive is completely different in the given statement. So, this option is incorrect.

Note: The underlying meaning of the sentence must be understood to move on.