Can I pick your brains?

[theresa]

Here are some questions, and I'm not very sure about the answers.
1 Did you buy some new paint brushes?
A. I have no money.
B. They went to the park
C. Yes, six of them.
For this question, I would love to choose C but why don't we say six brushes?

2 Do you prefer the seaside or the mountains?
A. Well, I like the beach more than the mountains.
B. I went to the seaside two years ago.
C. I prefer them both.

I would opt for A, but how about C? Is " prefer... both" wrong?

3 When we think of graffiti, we _____ think of some kids with a scan of spray paint writing their name on the side of the wall.
A always
B usually
C rarely
D never

When we assume something, we shouldn't use " always"?
4 Summer____! Don't miss out on this special limited-time only travel package to beautiful Hawaii.
A travelers
B tour takers
C vacation
D time

I chose D for this question. But do we have " summer travelers"?
What does "one-of-a-kind package" mean?

Thanks a lot.
Theresa

[Yankee]

.
1 Did you buy some new paint brushes?
A. I have no money.
B. They went to the park
C. Yes, six of them.
For this question, I would love to choose C but why don't we say six brushes?
You could say "Yes, I bought six paint brushes", but we generally don't repeat everything that has already been said. Instead, we shorten things. Theoretically, a person could also answer the question this way: "Yes, six."
In addition, it is quite common to replace nouns with pronouns when it is clearly understood what the pronoun refers to.

2 Do you prefer the seaside or the mountains?
A. Well, I like the beach more than the mountains.
B. I went to the seaside two years ago.
C. I prefer them both.

I would opt for A, but how about C? Is " prefer... both" wrong?
A question about preference asks you to make a choice. However, you could answer the question this way: "I like them both."

3 When we think of graffiti, we _____ think of some kids with a scan of spray paint writing their name on the side of the wall.
A always
B usually
C rarely
D never

When we assume something, we shouldn't use " always"?
The person who wrote this test question probably wants you to choose (B) usually. This would suggest that this is what most people think. However, I don't think this is the best test sentence ever written because it's not really possible to know what the specific people in the group called "we" think. Theoretically, any of the options might be possible.

4 Summer____! Don't miss out on this special limited-time only travel package to beautiful Hawaii.
A travelers
B tour takers
C vacation
D time

I chose D for this question. But do we have " summer travelers"?
This is another badly written test sentence, in my opinion.
What does "one-of-a-kind package" mean?
It basically means that there are no other packages like it, and suggests that the package is unique and special.

Thanks a lot.
You're welcome.
_________________
Amy
.
ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English