Basics. What, Which, and How Questions with Nouns: correct answers
Jump to answers ↓Choosing Between What and Which
Often, we put a noun right after a question word to ask for specific information (e.g., color, time, size). The biggest source of confusion for learners is choosing between what and which.
The rule depends on the number of possible answers:
- Use what + noun when there is an open, general, or unlimited number of possible answers.
- Use which + noun when you are asking someone to choose from a small, specific, or limited set of options.
✅ "What color is your new car?" (There are millions of colors in the world; the speaker has no specific list in mind.) ✅ "We have red and blue. Which color do you prefer?" (The choices are strictly limited to two options.) ❌ "We have red and blue. What color do you prefer?" (This sounds unnatural because the options have already been restricted.)
The edge case: Sometimes, what and which can both be correct, depending entirely on what the speaker is imagining. If a tourist asks, "What train goes to London?" they are thinking generally about all the trains in the country. If they ask, "Which train goes to London?" they are probably looking at a specific departures board with a set list of options right in front of them.
Asking About Quantity: How Much vs. How Many
When asking about quantities, we use how + much/many + noun. The rule here depends strictly on whether the noun is countable or uncountable.
- Use how many with plural countable nouns. These are things you can count with numbers, like cups, friends, books, or pancakes.
- Use how much with uncountable nouns. These are things you cannot count individually without a container or measurement unit, like coffee, time, money, or syrup.
✅ "How many cups of coffee did you drink today?" ❌ "How much cups of coffee did you drink today?"
✅ "How much time do we have before the train leaves?" ❌ "How many time do we have before the train leaves?"
The "How" vs "What" Trap
A very common mistake for B1-B2 learners is translating directly from their native language when asking about characteristics like size, color, or shape. In many languages, you use the equivalent of "how" for these questions. In English, we do not use how directly with a noun to ask about its type or identity.
If you are placing a noun directly after the question word, you generally need what or which.
✅ "What size shoes do you wear?" ❌ "How size shoes do you wear?"
✅ "What time does the rescue helicopter arrive?" ❌ "How time does the rescue helicopter arrive?"
✅ "What platform is for the express train?" ❌ "How platform is for the express train?"
Note: We do use "how" with adjectives (e.g., How big is it? How late are we?), but the moment a noun immediately follows the question word to ask for a specific category, what or which is the correct choice.
Correct answers
Question 1
Complete the concerned friend's question.
"______ cups of coffee have you had today? You are literally vibrating!"
The correct answer is How many.
We use How many with plural countable nouns (like cups) to ask about quantity. We use How much for uncountable nouns (like coffee or water).
Question 2
Complete the alien's diary entry about his first Earth breakfast. Drag the correct question words to fill in the blanks.
I sat at the diner and asked the waiter how many pancakes a normal human usually eats.
Then I needed to know how much syrup goes on top of them, since it looked very sticky.
Finally, I asked him what flavor of juice is the most popular on this strange planet.
I sat at the diner and asked the waiter how many pancakes a normal human usually eats.
We use how many with countable nouns, like "pancakes."
Then I needed to know how much syrup goes on top of them, since it looked very sticky.
We use how much with uncountable nouns, like "syrup" or "water."
Finally, I asked him what flavor of juice is the most popular on this strange planet.
We use what with a noun (like "flavor") to ask an open question when there are many possibilities.
Question 3
The correct answers are Which platform is for the express train? and What time does the station close?
Which and What can both be used directly before a noun to ask a question.
Use Which + noun when there is a limited number of choices (like platforms in a station).
Use What + noun when asking a general question with many possible answers (like time).
"How" cannot be used directly before a noun like this, and "Which of" must be followed by a determiner (like "the" or "these").
Question 4
Complete the roommate's surprised question.
"______ color dye did you use? Your hair is glowing in the dark!"
The correct answer is What.
We use What + noun (like What color or What time) to ask a question when there is a wide or unlimited number of possible answers. If the roommate were holding up two specific boxes of dye, they would ask "Which color dye did you use?"
Question 5
Which wand is better for turning frogs into teacups, the oak one or the willow one?
We use Which when there is a small, limited choice (like choosing between the oak wand and the willow wand).
What kind of wood is this?
We use What when asking about an open or unlimited number of choices.
How many gold coins does this cost?
We use How with "many" or "much" to ask about quantity.
Question 6
The correct answers are What languages do you speak? and How many books did you bring?
When asking questions, question words like What, Which, and How many/much often act as determiners. They are placed directly before the noun they describe (e.g., "What languages", "How many books").
"How much" is only used for uncountable nouns, so "How much books" is incorrect.
Question 7
What flavor of ice cream is the most popular in this galaxy?
We use What for general questions when there are many possible answers.
Which sauce comes with the space-burger, the red slime or the green slime?
We use Which when choosing between a few specific options (red slime or green slime).
How many alien tentacles are in the soup?
We use How with "many" to ask for a specific number of a countable noun (tentacles).
Question 8
Help the waiter ask the customer about their preference.
"We have the 'Volcano Fire' sauce or the 'Boring Mild' sauce. ______ sauce would you like on your tacos?"
The correct answer is Which.
We use Which + noun when there is a limited, specific choice (in this case, exactly two options: Volcano Fire or Boring Mild). We use What when the choices are unlimited or unknown.
Question 9
What time does the rescue helicopter arrive?
We use What with nouns like "time", "color", or "day" for general questions.
Which floor is the villain hiding on, the 4th or the 5th?
We use Which when the options are specific and limited (the 4th or the 5th).
How much coffee should I bring for the stakeout?
We use How with "much" to ask about the amount of an uncountable noun (coffee).
Question 10
The correct answers are How much soda should we buy? and How many friends are you inviting?
Use How many + plural countable noun for things you can count individually (like "friends", "cups", or "chairs").
Use How much + uncountable noun for things you cannot count individually (like "soda", "pizza", or "water").
Question 11
Help the detective complete her interview notes about a very unhelpful witness. Drag the correct question words into the witness's statement.
The detective first asked the witness what color the getaway car was, but the man was colorblind.
When shown a photo of three different vehicles, the witness couldn't remember which car he saw.
The detective sighed in frustration and asked how much money the thieves actually dropped on the sidewalk.
The detective first asked the witness what color the getaway car was, but the man was colorblind.
"What color" is the standard combination used to ask about colors in general.
When shown a photo of three different vehicles, the witness couldn't remember which car he saw.
We use which when choosing from a specific, limited group (like three cars in a photo).
The detective sighed in frustration and asked how much money the thieves actually dropped on the sidewalk.
We use how before "much" and an uncountable noun (like "money") to ask about amounts.