The same vs. identical

[Rich7]

Test No. incompl/inter-57 "A Night Out", question 10

The following evening we were back again watching television but after the cinema it's never the ......... again.

(a) same
(b) identical
(c) similar
(d) like

Test No. incompl/inter-57 "A Night Out", answer 10

The following evening we were back again watching television but after the cinema it's never the identical again.

Correct answer: (a) same

Your answer was: correct
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same or identical?

[Torsten]

The same is a set phrase and it's the correct choice in this answer.
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Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Hiwa]

[Hieu]

Hi Hiwa,

You can't use "identical" in that sentence because grammatically you must use a noun or a pronoun after an artical "the". In this situation, same is a pronoun so it is used. "Identical" is only an adjective here, do you understand?
In meaning, identical means similar in every details but same means very the one or thing mentioned to.

Example:
I saw a row of identical houses.
Was that Helen on the phone? => The same. (It means it was Helen).

Thanks for your answer.
Pham Trung Hieu