5 exercises — practise formal justification with "on the grounds that/of".
0 / 20 completed
1 / 20
Which sentence correctly uses "on the grounds that" plus a finite clause to justify rejecting a pull request?
"The reviewer rejected the pull request on the grounds that it introduced a breaking change without a migration path" correctly uses the full fixed phrase "on the grounds that" with the plural "grounds" and both articles. Option B incorrectly uses the singular "ground". Option C drops the required article "the" before "grounds". Option D omits "that", which is required before the finite clause in this formal register.
2 / 20
Which sentence correctly uses the noun-phrase variant "on the grounds of" followed by a noun phrase rather than a clause?
"The vendor's proposal was declined on the grounds of insufficient data residency guarantees" correctly follows "on the grounds of" with a noun phrase, not a full clause. Option B incorrectly uses "that" (which requires a finite clause) after "grounds of". Option C incorrectly combines both "of" and "that". Option D incorrectly uses the singular "ground" instead of "grounds".
3 / 20
Which sentence correctly uses "on the grounds that" in an RFC to justify a technical recommendation with multiple reasons?
"The committee recommends Postgres over MongoDB on the grounds that it offers stronger consistency guarantees for this workload" is correct, with the plural "grounds", the article "the", the connector "that", and a full clause with its own subject "it". Option B drops "that" and has a subject-verb agreement error ("it offer"). Option C drops "the" and lacks a subject in the clause. Option D uses the singular "ground" and also lacks a subject.
4 / 20
Which sentence correctly uses "on the grounds that" in the passive voice to describe a formally documented rejection reason?
"The request was denied on the grounds that the payload exceeded the configured size limit" correctly follows "on the grounds that" with a full finite clause in the past tense. Option B incorrectly uses a gerund ("exceeding") instead of a finite verb. Option C incorrectly substitutes "for" in place of "on" in the fixed phrase. Option D incorrectly splits the passive auxiliary "was" away from the past participle "denied".
5 / 20
Which sentence correctly negates the justified action while keeping "on the grounds that" intact, describing an appeal against a rejected proposal?
"The architecture proposal was not approved on the grounds that it lacked a rollback strategy" correctly places "not" with the auxiliary "was" to negate the main verb, leaving the justification clause itself affirmative and accurate. Option B misplaces "not", implying the justification itself is being denied rather than the approval. Option C incorrectly adds a second negator inside the justification clause. Option D misorders "not" before "was".
6 / 20
During a code review of the user authentication module, Alice comments on Ben's PR: 'I'm hesitant to merge this on the grounds that the error handling isn't comprehensive enough. It doesn't cover rate limiting scenarios.' Which option best reflects Alice's justification?
Alice uses 'on the grounds that' to introduce a specific reason for her hesitation – the lack of rate limiting. The correct answer reflects this focus on a critical security aspect. Options A and D are too general; B is close but misinterprets the context, while C describes a symptom rather than the underlying justification.
7 / 20
In a Slack channel discussing API changes, David writes: 'On the grounds of performance considerations, we should prioritize version 2.0 over 1.5 for new deployments.' Which of the following is the most accurate interpretation of David's message?
David uses 'on the grounds of' to signal a reasoned preference based on performance. The correct answer correctly identifies that David is advocating for Version 2.0 due to its perceived superior speed. Options A and B are irrelevant; C misinterprets the justification – it's about *performance*, not security – and D presents an unsupported claim.
8 / 20
You're writing a PR description for a new logging service. You want to formally explain why you've implemented granular logging levels. Which sentence is the most appropriate use of 'on the grounds that'?
This sentence correctly employs 'on the grounds that' to justify a specific technical decision – granular logging. The core justification is *why* you've chosen this approach (detailed insights). Options A and B are incorrect because they don't explain the rationale behind the granular levels; C describes what logging is, not why it's implemented; D focuses on configuration rather than justification.
9 / 20
During a standup meeting, Sarah reports: 'On the grounds that the current database schema isn't scalable, we're migrating to a NoSQL solution.' Which of the following best captures the meaning of Sarah's statement?
Here, 'on the grounds that' provides the reason for a strategic shift. The correct answer highlights the scalability issue as the driving factor behind the migration. Options A and B are too detailed; C describes a consequence, while D is simply an action taken.
10 / 20
A senior engineer sends a code review comment: 'I'm concerned about this approach. On the grounds that it violates our established coding standards, I suggest refactoring.' Which of these best represents the intended meaning?
'On the grounds that' indicates a justification based on adherence to pre-existing guidelines. The correct answer accurately reflects this – it's about violating established standards. Options A and B are too forceful; C focuses on a bug, while D suggests a fundamental change in approach.
11 / 20
During a code review of the user authentication module, Alice comments on Ben's PR: 'I'm hesitant to merge this on the grounds that the error handling isn't comprehensive enough. It doesn't cover rate limiting scenarios.' Which option best reflects Alice's justification?
Alice uses 'on the grounds that' to introduce a specific reason for her hesitation – the lack of rate limiting. The correct answer reflects this focus on a critical security aspect. Options A and D are too general; B is close but misinterprets the context, while C describes a symptom rather than the underlying justification.
12 / 20
In a Slack channel discussing API changes, David writes: 'On the grounds of performance considerations, we should prioritize version 2.0 over 1.5 for new deployments.' Which of the following is the most accurate interpretation of David's message?
David uses 'on the grounds of' to signal a reasoned preference based on performance. The correct answer correctly identifies that David is advocating for Version 2.0 due to its perceived superior speed. Options A and B are irrelevant; C misinterprets the justification – it's about *performance*, not security – and D presents an unsupported claim.
13 / 20
You're writing a PR description for a new logging service. You want to formally explain why you've implemented granular logging levels. Which sentence is the most appropriate use of 'on the grounds that'?
This sentence correctly employs 'on the grounds that' to justify a specific technical decision – granular logging. The core justification is *why* you've chosen this approach (detailed insights). Options A and B are incorrect because they don't explain the rationale behind the granular levels; C describes what logging is, not why it's implemented; D focuses on configuration rather than justification.
14 / 20
During a standup meeting, Sarah reports: 'On the grounds that the current database schema isn't scalable, we're migrating to a NoSQL solution.' Which of the following best captures the meaning of Sarah's statement?
Here, 'on the grounds that' provides the reason for a strategic shift. The correct answer highlights the scalability issue as the driving factor behind the migration. Options A and B are too detailed; C describes a consequence, while D is simply an action taken.
15 / 20
A senior engineer sends a code review comment: 'I'm concerned about this approach. On the grounds that it violates our established coding standards, I suggest refactoring.' Which of these best represents the intended meaning?
'On the grounds that' indicates a justification based on adherence to pre-existing guidelines. The correct answer accurately reflects this – it's about violating established standards. Options A and B are too forceful; C focuses on a bug, while D suggests a fundamental change in approach.
16 / 20
During a code review of the user authentication module, Alice comments on Ben's PR: 'I'm hesitant to merge this on the grounds that the error handling isn't comprehensive enough. It doesn't cover rate limiting scenarios.' Which option best reflects Alice's justification?
Alice uses 'on the grounds that' to introduce a specific reason for her hesitation – the lack of rate limiting. The correct answer reflects this focus on a critical security aspect. Options A and D are too general; B is close but misinterprets the context, while C describes a symptom rather than the underlying justification.
17 / 20
In a Slack channel discussing API changes, David writes: 'On the grounds of performance considerations, we should prioritize version 2.0 over 1.5 for new deployments.' Which of the following is the most accurate interpretation of David's message?
David uses 'on the grounds of' to signal a reasoned preference based on performance. The correct answer correctly identifies that David is advocating for Version 2.0 due to its perceived superior speed. Options A and B are irrelevant; C misinterprets the justification – it's about *performance*, not security – and D presents an unsupported claim.
18 / 20
You're writing a PR description for a new logging service. You want to formally explain why you've implemented granular logging levels. Which sentence is the most appropriate use of 'on the grounds that'?
This sentence correctly employs 'on the grounds that' to justify a specific technical decision – granular logging. The core justification is *why* you've chosen this approach (detailed insights). Options A and B are incorrect because they don't explain the rationale behind the granular levels; C describes what logging is, not why it's implemented; D focuses on configuration rather than justification.
19 / 20
During a standup meeting, Sarah reports: 'On the grounds that the current database schema isn't scalable, we're migrating to a NoSQL solution.' Which of the following best captures the meaning of Sarah's statement?
Here, 'on the grounds that' provides the reason for a strategic shift. The correct answer highlights the scalability issue as the driving factor behind the migration. Options A and B are too detailed; C describes a consequence, while D is simply an action taken.
20 / 20
A senior engineer sends a code review comment: 'I'm concerned about this approach. On the grounds that it violates our established coding standards, I suggest refactoring.' Which of these best represents the intended meaning?
'On the grounds that' indicates a justification based on adherence to pre-existing guidelines. The correct answer accurately reflects this – it's about violating established standards. Options A and B are too forceful; C focuses on a bug, while D suggests a fundamental change in approach.
What will I practise in ""On The Grounds That" for Formal Justification — IT Grammar Exercise"?
Practise using the formal causal phrase "on the grounds that" (clause) and "on the grounds of" (noun phrase) to justify decisions in RFCs, rejection notices
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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Every exercise is written by the CoderSlingo team, drawing on real workplace English used in IT roles, then reviewed for accuracy and clarity.