5 exercises — practise describing rare occurrences with "few and far between".
0 / 20 completed
1 / 20
Which sentence correctly uses "few and far between" as a predicate describing rare bugs in a QA report?
"Critical bugs in this module are few and far between" correctly uses the exact fixed phrase. Option B wrongly substitutes "apart" for "between". Option C wrongly uses "little" instead of "few" (which pairs with countable nouns like "bugs"). Option D scrambles the word order.
2 / 20
Which sentence correctly places "few and far between" at the end of a sentence about safe deploy windows?
"Safe deploy windows are few and far between" correctly ends with the standard fixed phrase, no trailing pronoun. Option B wrongly adds "them". Option C incorrectly inserts "in" before "between". Option D scrambles the word order.
3 / 20
Which sentence correctly uses "few and far between" mid-sentence, describing rare production incidents?
"Production incidents this severe are few and far between these days" correctly uses the intact fixed phrase followed naturally by a time expression. Option B adds a stray "it". Option C scrambles the word order. Option D wrongly substitutes "less" for "few".
4 / 20
Which sentence correctly distinguishes "few and far between" (rare occurrences over time) from "rarely" (a frequency adverb) when discussing on-call pages?
"False-positive pages have become few and far between" correctly uses the fixed phrase as a subject complement after "become". Option B and C both incorrectly stack the adverb "rarely" with the fixed phrase. Option D wrongly inserts the article "a" before "few".
5 / 20
Which sentence correctly uses "few and far between" to open an assessment of a legacy system's maintainers in a design doc?
"Engineers who still understand this legacy billing system are few and far between" correctly preserves the fixed word order. Option B adds an unnecessary "them". Option C reverses "few" and "far", which is not idiomatic. Option D scrambles the phrase.
6 / 20
Code Review Comment: 'The error rate for this API endpoint is surprisingly few and far between. We're seeing it fail less than 1% of the time.' Which of the following best captures the sentiment expressed in this comment?
'Few and far between' emphasizes that the occurrences are rare and separated. Option 2 accurately reflects this meaning – it highlights the infrequency of the errors. Options A is an overstatement, B is a negative interpretation, and C misrepresents the core meaning of the phrase.
7 / 20
Slack Message: 'Hey @john.doe, just wanted to let you know we're seeing only few and far between spikes in CPU usage during peak hours for the payment service. Monitoring is stable overall.' What does John.doe likely mean by this message?
'Few and far between' indicates that these spikes aren't regular or predictable. Option 2 correctly interprets this as infrequent, brief periods. Options A is incorrect because it contradicts the phrase's meaning, B misrepresents the situation, and C is an inaccurate assessment of the system's performance.
8 / 20
PR Description: 'This change introduces a new feature that will only be used by a few and far between users who require advanced reporting capabilities. Performance impact is minimal due to the low usage.' What aspect of this feature's deployment does this PR description highlight?
The description focuses on the *rarity* of usage. Option 2 accurately identifies that the PR is emphasizing the limited number of users and the minimal impact on performance. Options A and B are misinterpretations, and C presents a false need.
9 / 20
Standup Update: 'Yesterday, we resolved only few and far between incidents related to the new authentication service. Mostly just password reset requests – nothing major.' What is the speaker trying to convey about the recent incident volume?
'Few and far between' indicates that the incidents were rare and not substantial. Option 3 correctly describes this situation – minor, infrequent issues. Options A and B are exaggerations, and C suggests a lack of awareness.
10 / 20
Design Document: 'The current legacy system's maintainers represent a few and far between group of specialists. Their expertise is crucial but their number is dwindling, presenting a significant long-term risk.' What is the primary concern expressed in this excerpt?
The phrase 'few and far between' emphasizes scarcity. Option 3 accurately highlights the concern regarding the dwindling number of specialists – this represents a critical risk. Options A and B are contrary to the sentiment, and C suggests an inappropriate solution.
11 / 20
Code Review Comment: 'The error rate for this API endpoint is surprisingly few and far between. We're seeing it fail less than 1% of the time.' Which of the following best captures the sentiment expressed in this comment?
'Few and far between' emphasizes that the occurrences are rare and separated. Option 2 accurately reflects this meaning – it highlights the infrequency of the errors. Options A is an overstatement, B is a negative interpretation, and C misrepresents the core meaning of the phrase.
12 / 20
Slack Message: 'Hey @john.doe, just wanted to let you know we're seeing only few and far between spikes in CPU usage during peak hours for the payment service. Monitoring is stable overall.' What does John.doe likely mean by this message?
'Few and far between' indicates that these spikes aren't regular or predictable. Option 2 correctly interprets this as infrequent, brief periods. Options A is incorrect because it contradicts the phrase's meaning, B misrepresents the situation, and C is an inaccurate assessment of the system's performance.
13 / 20
PR Description: 'This change introduces a new feature that will only be used by a few and far between users who require advanced reporting capabilities. Performance impact is minimal due to the low usage.' What aspect of this feature's deployment does this PR description highlight?
The description focuses on the *rarity* of usage. Option 2 accurately identifies that the PR is emphasizing the limited number of users and the minimal impact on performance. Options A and B are misinterpretations, and C presents a false need.
14 / 20
Standup Update: 'Yesterday, we resolved only few and far between incidents related to the new authentication service. Mostly just password reset requests – nothing major.' What is the speaker trying to convey about the recent incident volume?
'Few and far between' indicates that the incidents were rare and not substantial. Option 3 correctly describes this situation – minor, infrequent issues. Options A and B are exaggerations, and C suggests a lack of awareness.
15 / 20
Design Document: 'The current legacy system's maintainers represent a few and far between group of specialists. Their expertise is crucial but their number is dwindling, presenting a significant long-term risk.' What is the primary concern expressed in this excerpt?
The phrase 'few and far between' emphasizes scarcity. Option 3 accurately highlights the concern regarding the dwindling number of specialists – this represents a critical risk. Options A and B are contrary to the sentiment, and C suggests an inappropriate solution.
16 / 20
Code Review Comment: 'The error rate for this API endpoint is surprisingly few and far between. We're seeing it fail less than 1% of the time.' Which of the following best captures the sentiment expressed in this comment?
'Few and far between' emphasizes that the occurrences are rare and separated. Option 2 accurately reflects this meaning – it highlights the infrequency of the errors. Options A is an overstatement, B is a negative interpretation, and C misrepresents the core meaning of the phrase.
17 / 20
Slack Message: 'Hey @john.doe, just wanted to let you know we're seeing only few and far between spikes in CPU usage during peak hours for the payment service. Monitoring is stable overall.' What does John.doe likely mean by this message?
'Few and far between' indicates that these spikes aren't regular or predictable. Option 2 correctly interprets this as infrequent, brief periods. Options A is incorrect because it contradicts the phrase's meaning, B misrepresents the situation, and C is an inaccurate assessment of the system's performance.
18 / 20
PR Description: 'This change introduces a new feature that will only be used by a few and far between users who require advanced reporting capabilities. Performance impact is minimal due to the low usage.' What aspect of this feature's deployment does this PR description highlight?
The description focuses on the *rarity* of usage. Option 2 accurately identifies that the PR is emphasizing the limited number of users and the minimal impact on performance. Options A and B are misinterpretations, and C presents a false need.
19 / 20
Standup Update: 'Yesterday, we resolved only few and far between incidents related to the new authentication service. Mostly just password reset requests – nothing major.' What is the speaker trying to convey about the recent incident volume?
'Few and far between' indicates that the incidents were rare and not substantial. Option 3 correctly describes this situation – minor, infrequent issues. Options A and B are exaggerations, and C suggests a lack of awareness.
20 / 20
Design Document: 'The current legacy system's maintainers represent a few and far between group of specialists. Their expertise is crucial but their number is dwindling, presenting a significant long-term risk.' What is the primary concern expressed in this excerpt?
The phrase 'few and far between' emphasizes scarcity. Option 3 accurately highlights the concern regarding the dwindling number of specialists – this represents a critical risk. Options A and B are contrary to the sentiment, and C suggests an inappropriate solution.
What will I practise in ""Few And Far Between" for Rarity — IT Grammar Exercise"?
Practise using the fixed phrase "few and far between" to describe rare bugs, incidents, and deploy windows, in QA reports and design docs.
How many exercises are in this module?
This module has 20 multiple-choice exercises, each with instant feedback and a full explanation of the correct answer.
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What happens if I choose the wrong answer?
You'll immediately see which answer was correct, plus a full explanation covering the grammar rule and reasoning behind it — mistakes are where most of the learning happens.
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Where can I find more Grammar exercises?
Browse the full Grammar hub for related drills, or check the "Next up" link below to continue with a connected topic.
How is this different from reading an article on the same topic?
Articles explain grammar rules in prose; this exercise tests and reinforces those rules through active recall with immediate feedback — the two work best together.
Who writes these exercises?
Every exercise is written by the CoderSlingo team, drawing on real workplace English used in IT roles, then reviewed for accuracy and clarity.