Concentrate vs. deliberate

[Guest]

Test No. incompl/inter-23 "Leave me alone", question 4

User: Sorry I didn't mean to be rude but I'm trying to ..........

(a) deliberate
(b) ruminate
(c) concentrate
(d) cogitate

Test No. incompl/inter-23 "Leave me alone", answer 4

User: Sorry I didn't mean to be rude but I'm trying to concentrate.

Correct answer: (c) concentrate

Your answer was: incorrect
User: Sorry I didn't mean to be rude but I'm trying to deliberate.
_________________________

why not is deliberate?
thanks

[Mister Micawber]

.
It is possible to make grammatical-- and semantically reasonable-- sentences with any number of verbs:

I'm trying to deliberate/meditate/ruminate/analyze/digest/cogitate/etc. The key is the rudeness: Leave me alone. This suggests that the other person is a distraction, and concentrate means to direct or focus one's attention on something, so concentrate is the most appropriate choice.
.
_________________
Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mr. Micawber

[FrankU]

What about concentrate on? What is the difference between to concentrate on and to focus on?

[Mister Micawber]

.
Focus on is a more visual image, Frank; other than that there is no difference in this usage.
.
_________________
Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mr. Micawber