(ESCOLA NAVAL/MB) - QUESTÃO

Which of the alternatives below completes the sentence correctly?

There are no figures for ______ (1) of the applicants successfully get off waiting lists. It varies since it depends on the strength of the application pool and whether the fully accepted students decide to attend or go elsewhere.

Ⓐ how many

Ⓑ how

Ⓒ how much

Ⓓ many

Ⓔ Much

Let’s analyze the sentence carefully:

Sentence:
"There are no figures for ______ (1) of the applicants successfully get off waiting lists. It varies since it depends on the strength of the application pool and whether the fully accepted students decide to attend or go elsewhere."

We need a phrase that refers to the number of applicants (a countable noun) who successfully get off waiting lists.

• Ⓐ how many ✅ – Correct. “How many” is used with countable nouns (like applicants) to indicate quantity.
  → “There are no figures for how many of the applicants successfully get off waiting lists.” ✔

• Ⓑ how ❌ – Too vague here; it would refer to “the manner” rather than the number.

• Ⓒ how much ❌ – “How much” is used for uncountable nouns, not countable like “applicants.”

• Ⓓ many ❌ – “Many” alone doesn’t fit grammatically here; we need “how many.”

• Ⓔ much ❌ – Same as above, for uncountable nouns.

Answer:  how many