Adult ESL/ELL Beginner Quiz: Describing Symptoms And Feelings
10 questions · exam conditions
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Describing Symptoms And FeelingsQuestion 1 of 10

Maria calls her doctor's office. She says: "I have a headache and my throat hurts. I feel very hot."

The nurse asks Maria, "Do you have any other symptoms?" Which sentence is the BEST way for Maria to describe one more symptom she might have?

"Yes, I am feeling a little tired and my body aches all over today."
"Yes, the doctor is very good and I like the office a lot."
"Yes, my sister also went to the doctor last week for the same thing."
"Yes, I think the weather is cold and I need a new coat soon."
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Adult ESL/ELL Beginner Quiz

Adult ESL/ELL Beginner Quiz: Describing Symptoms And Feelings

Practice Describing Symptoms And Feelings in Adult ESL/ELL Beginner with focused quiz questions that help you check what you know, review explanations, and build confidence with test-style prompts.

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Describing Symptoms And Feelings, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for Adult ESL/ELL Beginner.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

All questions

Question 1

Maria calls her doctor's office. She says: "I have a headache and my throat hurts. I feel very hot."

The nurse asks Maria, "Do you have any other symptoms?" Which sentence is the BEST way for Maria to describe one more symptom she might have?

  1. "Yes, I am feeling a little tired and my body aches all over today." (correct answer)
  2. "Yes, the doctor is very good and I like the office a lot."
  3. "Yes, my sister also went to the doctor last week for the same thing."
  4. "Yes, I think the weather is cold and I need a new coat soon."
Explanation: When someone asks about your symptoms, they want to know how your body feels — pain, tiredness, fever, and similar physical signs. The nurse's question "Do you have any other symptoms?" is asking Maria to describe more things that feel wrong with her body, so the best response must stay on that topic. Answer A is correct because it directly answers the nurse's question. "I feel a little tired and my body aches all over" are real physical symptoms — things Maria's body is experiencing. This fits naturally into a medical conversation and gives the nurse useful health information. Answer B talks about the doctor and the office, not about Maria's body. Saying "I like the office a lot" is a compliment, not a symptom. This does not answer the nurse's question at all. Answer C mentions Maria's sister going to the doctor. While this might feel related to being sick, it is not a symptom Maria is experiencing. The nurse asked about Maria's body, not her family members. Answer D is about the weather and needing a coat. This is completely off-topic. Cold weather is not a symptom — it is something happening outside, not inside Maria's body. A helpful tip: when you see a question about conversations, always ask yourself "Does this answer match what the question asked?" The nurse asked specifically about symptoms, so the correct response must describe a physical feeling. Any answer that drifts to a different subject — family, opinions, weather — is a distractor. Stay on topic!

Question 2

David tells his coworker: "I cannot come to work today. My stomach hurts and I feel nauseous."

David's coworker asks, "How bad does your stomach hurt?" Which response BEST describes the level of David's pain using a simple sentence?

  1. "It hurts so much that I cannot stand up straight or walk normally right now." (correct answer)
  2. "The stomach is an important part of the body that helps with digestion."
  3. "I usually eat lunch at noon and dinner at six o'clock every single day."
  4. "My coworker told me about a good medicine that she bought at the store."
Explanation: When someone asks "how bad" something hurts, they want a description of the severity — in other words, how serious or intense the pain is. Your job is to find the answer that actually responds to that question with a clear, simple description of pain level. Answer A does exactly this. It tells the coworker that David's stomach hurts so much he cannot stand up straight or walk normally — a vivid, direct description that shows the pain is severe and affecting his body. This directly answers "how bad," which is what the question asks for. Answer B talks about what the stomach does in the body (digestion). This is a science fact, not a description of pain. It does not answer the question at all — it changes the subject entirely. Answer C describes David's daily eating schedule. This has nothing to do with how much pain he is in. A meal routine does not explain the severity of a stomachache. Answer D mentions a coworker recommending medicine at a store. This might come up later in a conversation, but it does not describe how bad the pain is. It skips past the question and jumps to a solution instead. A useful strategy: when a question asks you to respond to someone, always ask yourself, "Does this answer actually respond to what was asked?" Wrong answers on this exam often sound related to the topic but answer a different question — about facts, habits, or solutions instead of the specific thing being asked. Train yourself to match the answer to the exact question being asked.

Question 3

A student wants to tell her teacher that she does not feel well. Which sentence MOST clearly and correctly describes a physical symptom?

  1. "I feel dizzy and my head is spinning around a lot today." (correct answer)
  2. "I feel that the homework was very long and took a lot of time."
  3. "I feel happy when I see my friends and family on the weekend."
  4. "I feel the classroom is too small and needs more chairs for everyone."
Explanation: When someone describes a physical symptom, they are talking about something happening in their body — something they can feel physically, like pain, dizziness, or nausea. When answering a question like this, ask yourself: Is this person describing their body, or something else? Choice A is the correct answer because "I feel dizzy and my head is spinning" describes a real, physical experience happening inside the body. This is exactly the kind of sentence a student should use to tell a teacher she is not feeling well. It is clear, direct, and medically relevant — a teacher would immediately understand that the student may need help. Choice B is not a physical symptom at all. Saying the homework "took a lot of time" describes a feeling about schoolwork, not about the body. This is a complaint about a task, not an illness. Choice C describes an emotion — feeling happy — not a physical symptom. While emotions are real feelings, they are not physical symptoms of being unwell. This sentence also describes something positive happening outside of school. Choice D is about the classroom environment — its size and number of chairs. This is an opinion about the room, not about how the student's body feels. A helpful strategy: when you see the word "symptom," think body. Symptoms are things like headaches, fever, stomachaches, or dizziness — things you feel inside your body. If the sentence is about emotions, opinions, or situations, it is not describing a physical symptom.

Question 4

Ana visits her doctor. The doctor asks, "Where does it hurt?" Ana points to her left knee.

Which sentence BEST completes Ana's description of her symptom to the doctor?

  1. "My left hand is my dominant hand and I use it to write every day at work."
  2. "My left shoe is too tight and I bought it at the mall two months ago."
  3. "My left side of the room at home has a chair where I like to sit often."
  4. "My left knee hurts when I walk, and it is swollen and red around the area." (correct answer)
Explanation: When you visit a doctor and describe a symptom, your words need to be relevant and useful — they should help the doctor understand what is wrong with your body. This question tests whether you can identify a sentence that matches the situation: Ana is pointing to her left knee and needs to describe what she is feeling there. The best answer is D. It tells the doctor exactly what Ana's knee does: it hurts when she walks, and it looks swollen and red. These are medical symptoms — signs of a health problem that the doctor needs to know about. Every word in D connects directly to the knee and helps the doctor do their job. Answer A talks about Ana's left hand and how she writes at work. This has nothing to do with her knee or any pain. It is off-topic. Answer B mentions a tight shoe and a shopping trip. Even though a shoe is near the foot, this sentence does not describe knee pain or a medical symptom — it describes a purchase. Answer C describes a chair in Ana's home. This is completely unrelated to her health. None of A, B, or C give the doctor useful medical information about the knee. A helpful tip to remember: in medical conversations, a good symptom description answers three things — where it hurts, what it feels like, and when it happens. Practice phrases like "My   hurts when I  " and "It is swollen/red/sore." These are powerful, simple sentences for talking to a doctor in English.

Question 5

A man wants to leave work early because he does not feel well. His manager asks him to explain what is wrong. Which sentence correctly uses the word "sick" to describe his condition?

  1. "I feel sick and tired of the long meetings we have every single Friday."
  2. "I feel sick of waiting for the bus every day because it is always late."
  3. "I feel sick to my stomach and I have a fever that started this morning." (correct answer)
  4. "I feel sick when I think about how much work is left on my big project."
Explanation: When you see a question like this, ask yourself: how is the word being used? Many common English words have both a literal meaning and an idiomatic meaning. "Sick" literally means physically ill, but it is also used in idioms to express frustration or emotional discomfort. The key here is that the man needs to explain a real physical condition to his manager. Choice C is correct because "sick to my stomach" describes a genuine physical symptom — nausea — and mentioning a fever adds another real medical detail. This is exactly the kind of explanation a manager would expect when someone asks why you need to leave work early for health reasons. Choice A uses the idiom "sick and tired of," which means frustrated or fed up with something. The man is complaining about long meetings, not describing a physical illness. Choice B follows the same pattern — "sick of waiting" is another idiom meaning annoyed or impatient. Neither A nor B describes how someone's body feels. Choice D says "I feel sick when I think about" the project, which suggests stress or worry, not a real physical symptom. A manager hearing this might think the employee is simply overwhelmed, not actually unwell. A helpful tip: watch for phrases like "sick of," "sick and tired of," or "sick when I think about" — these are idioms, not descriptions of physical health. When "sick" is followed by body-related words like "to my stomach" or paired with symptoms like fever, chills, or pain, it is being used literally. Learning to spot this difference will help you throughout this exam and in everyday English conversations.

Question 6

A nurse asks a patient: "Can you describe your pain? Is it sharp, dull, or burning?"

The patient wants to say that the pain feels like a sharp knife and comes and goes quickly. Which response BEST describes this symptom?

  1. "The pain is in my family and my mother had the same problem long ago."
  2. "The pain is very old and I have had it for many years without any change."
  3. "The pain is sharp, like a knife, and it comes and goes every few minutes." (correct answer)
  4. "The pain medicine I took last night helped me sleep for a few hours only."
Explanation: When a nurse asks you to describe your pain, she wants to know three things: what the pain feels like, how strong it is, and when or how often it happens. Your job as a patient is to match your words to your actual symptoms as closely as possible. In this situation, the patient has two important things to communicate: the pain is sharp (like a knife), and it is not constant — it comes and goes quickly. Answer C captures both of these perfectly. "Sharp, like a knife" describes the type of pain, and "comes and goes every few minutes" describes the pattern of pain. This gives the nurse exactly the medical information she needs. Answer A talks about family history and the patient's mother — this is background information, not a description of the current pain. Answer B describes pain that has lasted for years without change, which is the opposite of "comes and goes quickly" — that describes chronic, stable pain, not what this patient experiences. Answer D mentions pain medicine and sleep, which is useful information for a doctor, but it does not describe what the pain feels like at all. A helpful strategy: when answering a nurse or doctor's question, ask yourself, "Did I actually answer what they asked?" Medical professionals ask very specific questions — type, location, and pattern. Look for the answer choice that directly responds to all parts of the question, and watch out for choices that are "medical-sounding" but answer a different question entirely.

Question 7

At a clinic, the intake form asks: "Please describe your symptoms in one or two sentences." James writes his answer on the form.

Which answer did James MOST LIKELY write to correctly describe his symptoms on the form?

  1. "I have been coughing a lot and my chest feels very tight and heavy." (correct answer)
  2. "I have a car, a job, and I live close to this clinic on Main Street."
  3. "I have visited this clinic two times before, and the staff is very helpful."
  4. "I have health insurance and my employer pays for part of the cost each month."
Explanation: When a form asks you to "describe your symptoms," it is asking about physical feelings or problems in your body — things like pain, coughing, or fever. The word symptoms is a key medical vocabulary word meaning signs that something is wrong with your health. When you see a question like this, ask yourself: "Does the answer match exactly what the question is asking for?" Answer A is correct because James writes about his body — he is coughing a lot and his chest feels tight and heavy. These are symptoms. The answer is one sentence, it directly responds to the form's instruction, and it gives the clinic useful medical information. This is exactly what an intake form needs. Answer B is wrong because it describes personal facts — owning a car, having a job, and where James lives. These are life details, not symptoms. The form did not ask where he lives or what he owns. Answer C is wrong because it talks about James's past visits to the clinic and how helpful the staff is. This is feedback or history, not a description of how his body feels. Answer D is wrong because it describes James's health insurance and payment details. This is financial information. While a clinic may ask about insurance elsewhere on the form, it is not the same as describing symptoms. A helpful strategy: always match your answer to the exact question being asked. If a form says "describe your symptoms," every sentence in your answer should be about your body and how it feels — nothing else.

Question 8

Two sentences are shown below. Which sentence CORRECTLY describes a symptom using proper simple English for a beginner speaker?

Sentence 1: "I am have a sore throat since yesterday morning." Sentence 2: "I have had a sore throat since yesterday morning."

  1. Sentence 1 is correct because "am have" makes the sentence describe something happening right now.
  2. Sentence 2 is correct because it uses the present perfect tense to describe a symptom that started in the past and is still continuing. (correct answer)
  3. Both sentences are correct because they both mention the same symptom and the same time frame.
  4. Neither sentence is correct because describing symptoms always requires using the word "feel" instead of "have."
Explanation: When you see a question about describing symptoms in English, ask yourself: Is this symptom still happening right now, or did it only happen in the past? If something started in the past and is still continuing, English uses a special verb tense called the present perfect, formed with "have/has + past participle." This tense is the key to answering this question correctly. Sentence 2 — "I have had a sore throat since yesterday morning" — is correct because it uses the present perfect tense ("have had") to show that the sore throat began yesterday and is still happening now. The word "since" is a strong clue: whenever you see "since" followed by a past time, the present perfect tense is almost always required. This makes B the correct answer. A is wrong because "am have" is not grammatical English. "Am" is a form of "be," and you cannot combine it directly with another verb like "have" this way. This error mixes up two different verb structures and creates a sentence that a native speaker would not use. C is wrong because having the same meaning or topic does not make both sentences grammatically correct. Grammar rules must be followed even when the meaning is similar — Sentence 1 contains a clear grammatical error. D is wrong because "have" is perfectly acceptable when describing symptoms. Saying "I have a headache" or "I have a sore throat" is standard, natural English — you do not need to use "feel" in every case. Study tip: Memorize this pattern — "since" + past time = present perfect tense (have/has + past participle). You will see this combination frequently in everyday health conversations.

Question 9

A doctor asks a patient: "Do you feel any pain, or do you just feel uncomfortable?" The patient has a mild, general feeling of not feeling well — no sharp pain, but a general heaviness and tiredness.

Which sentence BEST describes the patient's condition accurately without overstating or understating the symptoms?

  1. "I have terrible, unbearable pain in my whole body and I cannot move well."
  2. "I do not have sharp pain, but I feel heavy all over and very tired today." (correct answer)
  3. "I feel completely fine and healthy right now, so I think I can go home soon."
  4. "I have a broken bone somewhere in my body and I need an X-ray right away."
Explanation: When a doctor asks about symptoms, your job as a patient is to describe exactly what you feel — not more, not less. This question tests whether you can match language to a specific level of discomfort: mild, general, and without sharp pain. The passage tells you the patient feels a general heaviness and tiredness — uncomfortable, but not in serious pain. Answer B captures this perfectly: "I do not have sharp pain, but I feel heavy all over and very tired today." It uses honest, moderate language that matches the mild condition described. It neither exaggerates nor hides anything. Answer A is a serious overstatement. Words like "terrible," "unbearable," and "cannot move well" describe a medical emergency — far beyond what the patient actually experiences. Using this language would mislead the doctor completely. Answer C goes in the opposite direction, understating the problem by saying the patient feels "completely fine and healthy." The patient clearly does not feel well, so this answer is dishonest and could cause the doctor to dismiss real symptoms. Answer D introduces an entirely new problem — a broken bone — that is never mentioned in the passage. This answer is fabricated and dangerously inaccurate. A helpful strategy for questions like this: always re-read the passage and ask yourself, "Does this answer match the exact level of severity described?" Watch out for extreme words like terrible, unbearable, or completely fine — they are usually signals that an answer is overstating or understating. B is correct because it is precise, honest, and proportional to the patient's actual condition.

Question 10

A woman is talking to her pharmacist. She wants to explain that she feels very weak and has no energy. Which sentence BEST describes her feelings using simple language?

  1. "I feel that the store closes too early and the hours are not good for me."
  2. "I feel like the medicine on the shelf is too expensive for me to buy today."
  3. "I feel like the pharmacist should give me a discount on my prescription now."
  4. "I feel so tired and weak that I can barely get out of my bed in the morning." (correct answer)
Explanation: When someone needs to describe how they feel physically, the key is to match the language to the situation. Here, the woman is speaking to a pharmacist — a health professional — and she wants to communicate physical symptoms: weakness and low energy. This means you're looking for the answer that clearly describes a physical feeling using simple, direct language. Choice D — "I feel so tired and weak that I can barely get out of my bed in the morning" — does exactly this. The words "tired," "weak," and "can barely get out of bed" are common, easy-to-understand expressions that directly describe how her body feels. This is the correct answer. Now look at why the others fail. Choice A talks about the store's hours, which has nothing to do with how the woman feels physically — it's a complaint about a schedule. Choice B mentions the price of medicine, which is about money, not her health symptoms. Choice C asks for a discount on a prescription, which is also about cost — not about describing physical weakness or tiredness. Choices A, B, and C are all off-topic because they focus on problems with the store or prices, not on the woman's body. A useful strategy: on questions like this, always ask yourself "Does this sentence answer the question being asked?" The question asks how she feels physically, so any answer that talks about money, store hours, or complaints is automatically wrong. Stay focused on the situation and eliminate answers that change the subject.