She wondered if the water was not … hot for drinking

Analyze the question The sentence is: "She wondered if the water was not __ hot for drinking." We need the word that fits grammatically and makes sense with "hot for drinking."

Explain the concept The structure "too + adjective + for + noun/gerund" expresses excess, meaning more than is acceptable or desirable. For example: "The tea is too hot for drinking" means it is so hot that it cannot be drunk.

Compare the other options:

• very hot for drinking: "very" does not connect naturally with "for drinking." We would say "very hot" on its own.
• so hot for drinking: "so" needs a "that" clause ("so hot that she could not drink it") or stands alone as an intensifier. It does not pair with "for."
• much hot: "much" cannot modify a plain adjective like "hot" (we say "very hot," or "much too hot").

Solution

1. The phrase "hot for drinking" implies a result: the water is not suitable for drinking.
2. The pattern "too + adjective + for" fits this meaning exactly.
3. "She wondered if the water was not too hot for drinking" means she suspected the water was excessively hot, so it could not be drunk.

Answer: B. too

Exam tip When you see "___ + adjective + for + noun/-ing," think "too." Remember: too = more than enough, with a negative result. Also watch for "too ... to" (too hot to drink) and "too ... for" (too hot for drinking). Both are very common in WASSCE and JAMB Use of English.