Zero, First, Second, and Third Conditionals: correct answers
Jump to answers ↓Zero, First, Second, and Third Conditionals
English conditionals allow us to express everything from scientific facts to wild daydreams and deep regrets. The structure you choose changes the meaning entirely based on how real or likely the situation is. For example, we use the zero conditional for universal truths ("If you heat ice, it melts") and the third conditional for impossible past changes ("If we had packed the tent, we wouldn't have slept in a bat cave").
In this challenge, you will practice forming all four types of conditional sentences. You'll help a dramatic chemistry teacher establish lab safety rules, peek into a student's daydream about winning the lottery, review a clumsy thief's botched bank robbery, and complete a time-traveler's survival guide.
You will navigate through 13 questions featuring a mix of single-choice, multi-choice, drag-and-drop, and drop-down formats to master these hypothetical structures.
Try the quiz to check your knowledge!
Correct answers
Question 1
Complete the professor's slightly ominous warning to the class.
If you submit your final essay written entirely in emojis, I ___ it an automatic failing grade.
The correct answer is will give.
This is a First Conditional sentence, used to talk about a real and highly possible situation in the future. The structure is: If + present simple, will + base verb.
Question 2
The correct answers are If you invest in that weird fruit company called Apple, you will be very rich in twenty years. and If you had listened to Mom about the haircut in 2015, you wouldn't have ruined your graduation photos.
The first correct option is a flawless First Conditional (If + present, will + base verb) predicting a future result.
The second correct option is a perfect Third Conditional (If + past perfect, would have + past participle) lamenting a past mistake.
"If water will freeze..." is incorrect; zero conditionals require the present simple in both clauses ("If water freezes...").
"If I was you, I will avoid..." mixes a second conditional "if" clause with a first conditional result. It should be "If I were you, I would avoid..."
Question 3
The correct answers are turns, touches, will fail, and would not test.
- turns: Zero conditional (If + present, present) is used for general truths and scientific facts.
- touches: First conditional (If + present, will + verb) is used for real, possible future situations. "Anyone" is a singular pronoun, so it takes "touches."
- will fail: The main clause of the first conditional uses "will" + base verb.
- would not test: Second conditional (If + past, would + verb) is used for unreal or hypothetical situations (like "If I were you...").
Question 4
The correct answers are If you mix baking soda and vinegar in a sealed tube, it creates a messy volcano. and If you forget your safety goggles, you will not participate in the explosion experiment.
The first correct sentence is a Zero Conditional (If + present simple, present simple), which is used for scientific facts or general truths.
The second correct sentence is a First Conditional (If + present simple, will + base verb), which describes a real, possible situation in the future.
"If you will touch..." is incorrect because we do not typically use "will" in the "if" clause of a first conditional.
"we will walked..." is incorrect because "will" must be followed by a base verb, not a past tense verb.
Question 5
Help the unfortunate camper express his deep regret about last weekend's disaster.
If we had remembered to pack the tent, we ___ to sleep in a cave full of angry bats last night.
The correct answer is wouldn't have had.
This is a Third Conditional sentence, used to express regret or talk about an unreal situation in the past. The structure requires: If + past perfect, would have + past participle. Here, the past participle of "have" (meaning "need to") is "had".
Question 6
Help the daydreaming student balance fantasy and reality in their journal by choosing the correct verbs for each blank.
If I won the lottery today, I would buy a private island full of rescue dogs. However, back in the real world, if I focus and study hard tonight, I will pass tomorrow's math exam!
If I won the lottery today, I would buy a private island full of rescue dogs.
This is a Second Conditional sentence. We use "if + past simple" (won) and "would + verb" (would buy) to talk about an unreal or hypothetical situation in the present or future.
However, back in the real world, if I focus and study hard tonight, I will pass tomorrow's math exam!
This is a First Conditional sentence. We use "if + present simple" (focus/study) and "will + verb" (will pass) to talk about a real and highly possible future event.
Question 7
The correct answers are If the burglar hadn't tripped over the mop bucket, he wouldn't have woken up the security guard. and The getaway driver might have escaped if he had remembered to put gas in the car.
These sentences correctly use the Third Conditional (If + past perfect, would/might/could have + past participle) to talk about unreal or contrary-to-fact situations in the past.
"If the thief didn't wear..." is incorrect because it uses the past simple instead of the past perfect ("hadn't worn").
"would had avoided" is incorrect because modals like "would" must be followed by the base verb "have", never "had".
Question 8
Question 9
Finish the daydreaming student's thought during a terribly boring morning lecture.
If I had the power of teleportation, I ___ the morning bus commute forever.
The correct answer is would skip.
This is a Second Conditional sentence, which describes an unreal or hypothetical situation in the present or future (having superpowers!). The structure is: If + past simple, would + base verb.
Question 10
The correct answers are If I won the lottery tomorrow, I would buy a lifetime supply of pizza. and If I were a millionaire, I could hire someone to take this math exam for me.
These are examples of the Second Conditional (If + past simple, would/could + base verb), which is used for unreal or hypothetical situations in the present or future. Notice the use of the subjunctive "were" instead of "was" for "I", which is grammatically preferred in hypothetical conditionals!
"If I would have..." is incorrect because we do not use "would" in the "if" clause.
"If I find... I would moved" mixes up tenses improperly and uses the past tense "moved" after the modal "would", which requires a base verb.
Question 11
Help Dr. Oops complete his slightly embarrassing lab report by choosing the right verb form for each gap.
As a basic rule of physics, if you heat ice, it melts immediately. Unfortunately, if I had remembered to close the lab freezer yesterday, my expensive ice cream cake would not have turned into a sad puddle!
As a basic rule of physics, if you heat ice, it melts immediately.
This is a Zero Conditional sentence. We use "if + present simple" (heat) and the "present simple" (melts) in the main clause to state general truths or scientific facts.
Unfortunately, if I had remembered to close the lab freezer yesterday, my expensive ice cream cake would not have turned into a sad puddle!
This is a Third Conditional sentence. We use "if + past perfect" (had remembered) and "would have + past participle" (would not have turned) to talk about a hypothetical situation in the past and its imaginary past result.
Question 12
Help the panicked college freshman understand basic kitchen physics by choosing the right word.
If you leave a frozen pizza in the oven for three hours, it ___ into a charcoal briquette.
The correct answer is turns.
This is a Zero Conditional sentence, which is used to express general truths, scientific facts, or guaranteed outcomes. The structure uses the present simple in both clauses: If + present simple, present simple.
Question 13
Complete the time-traveler's survival guide by matching the correct actions to the scenarios. Pay close attention to the second half of each sentence!
If you press the red button now, the time machine will launch us into the future. If a dinosaur chased you, you would need to run very fast! If we had packed more snacks, we wouldn't have gone hungry in the Jurassic period.
If you press the red button now, the time machine will launch us into the future.
The main clause uses "will launch" (First Conditional), so the "if" clause needs the present simple tense ("press") for a possible future action.
If a dinosaur chased you, you would need to run very fast!
The main clause uses "would need" (Second Conditional), so the "if" clause requires the past simple tense ("chased") for a hypothetical or unlikely situation.
If we had packed more snacks, we wouldn't have gone hungry in the Jurassic period.
The main clause uses "wouldn't have gone" (Third Conditional), so the "if" clause must use the past perfect tense ("had packed") to describe an unreal past condition.