French 1 Quiz: Making Simple Comparisons
9 questions · exam conditions
0:00
Making Simple ComparisonsQuestion 1 of 9

Marie et son frère Thomas habitent dans la même ville. Marie a 22 ans et Thomas a 17 ans. Marie mesure 1m65 et Thomas mesure 1m80.

Un ami demande : « Est-ce que Thomas est plus grand que Marie ? » Quelle est la meilleure réponse en français ?

Oui, Thomas est plus grand que Marie. Il mesure 1m80 et elle mesure 1m65.
Oui, Thomas est plus vieux que Marie. Il est grand et elle est petite.
Non, Marie est plus grande que Thomas. Elle est plus âgée que lui.
Non, Thomas est moins vieux que Marie, donc il est moins grand aussi.
← Back to quizzes

French 1 Quiz

French 1 Quiz: Making Simple Comparisons

Practice Making Simple Comparisons in French 1 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 Making Simple Comparisons, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for French 1.

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

Marie et son frère Thomas habitent dans la même ville. Marie a 22 ans et Thomas a 17 ans. Marie mesure 1m65 et Thomas mesure 1m80.

Un ami demande : « Est-ce que Thomas est plus grand que Marie ? » Quelle est la meilleure réponse en français ?

  1. Oui, Thomas est plus grand que Marie. Il mesure 1m80 et elle mesure 1m65. (correct answer)
  2. Oui, Thomas est plus vieux que Marie. Il est grand et elle est petite.
  3. Non, Marie est plus grande que Thomas. Elle est plus âgée que lui.
  4. Non, Thomas est moins vieux que Marie, donc il est moins grand aussi.
Explanation: When answering comparison questions in French, you need two things working together: accurate factual information from the passage and the correct comparative structure. French comparisons follow the pattern plus + adjective + que (more ... than), and adjectives must agree in gender with the noun they describe. Looking at the passage, Thomas measures 1m80 and Marie measures 1m65, so Thomas is indeed taller. The word for tall/big in French is grand, and since Thomas is male, it stays grand; since Marie is female, it becomes grande. Answer A captures this perfectly: "Oui, Thomas est plus grand que Marie. Il mesure 1m80 et elle mesure 1m65." It uses the correct comparative structure, the right adjective, and supports the claim with evidence from the text — making it the strongest, most complete response. Answer B goes wrong in a subtle but important way: it says Thomas is "plus vieux" (older) than Marie, which is factually backwards — Marie is 22 and Thomas is 17, so Marie is older. Confusing grand (tall) with vieux (old) is a classic trap. Answer C makes a factual error about height — Marie is not taller than Thomas — and then irrelevantly brings up age, which wasn't asked. Answer D confuses age and height entirely, wrongly implying that being younger automatically means being shorter, which is both logically flawed and factually unsupported. A good study tip: in French comparison questions, always check (1) that your adjective matches the correct meaning, (2) that it agrees in gender, and (3) that your claim actually matches the facts given in the passage.

Question 2

Camille parle à son collègue Romain. Elle dit : « Ma voiture est vieille, mais elle roule bien. La voiture de mon père est moins vieille que la mienne, mais elle tombe souvent en panne. »

Selon Camille, quelle comparaison sur l'âge des voitures est correcte ?

  1. La voiture du père de Camille est plus vieille que la voiture de Camille.
  2. La voiture de Camille est aussi vieille que la voiture de son père.
  3. La voiture du père de Camille est la plus vieille des deux voitures.
  4. La voiture de Camille est plus vieille que la voiture de son père. (correct answer)
Explanation: When reading a French passage that asks you to compare things, focus on the comparative structures: plus... que (more than), moins... que (less than), and aussi... que (as... as). These signal how two items relate to each other. Camille says her car is vieille (old), and then adds that her father's car is "moins vieille que la mienne" — meaning less old than mine. In other words, her father's car is newer, and Camille's car is older. That directly confirms answer D: Camille's car is older than her father's car. Let's look at why the other choices miss the mark. A says the father's car is plus vieille (older) than Camille's — this reverses the relationship entirely. The passage says the father's car is less old, not more. B claims both cars are equally old (aussi vieille que), but Camille explicitly draws a distinction — one is less old than the other, so they are not the same age. C says the father's car is the oldest of the two (la plus vieille des deux), which uses superlative form and again inverts the meaning — that title belongs to Camille's car. A useful strategy: when you see moins... que, mentally flip it to confirm the comparison from the other side. If the father's car is less old than Camille's, then Camille's car must be more old (older). Training yourself to reverse these comparisons will help you avoid mix-ups on any question testing French comparative adjectives.

Question 3

Sophie parle à son amie Léa au téléphone. Sophie dit : « Mon appartement est petit, mais l'appartement de ma sœur est encore plus petit que le mien. »

D'après la conversation, quelle comparaison est correcte ?

  1. L'appartement de Sophie est plus petit que l'appartement de sa sœur.
  2. L'appartement de la sœur de Sophie est le plus grand des deux appartements.
  3. L'appartement de la sœur de Sophie est plus petit que l'appartement de Sophie. (correct answer)
  4. Les deux appartements sont aussi petits l'un que l'autre selon Sophie.
Explanation: When reading French comparison sentences, pay close attention to the structure "plus + adjective + que" (more/"-er" than) and any intensifiers like "encore" (even). These signal a direct relationship between two things that you need to track carefully. In the passage, Sophie says her apartment is small, but her sister's apartment is "encore plus petit que le mien" — even smaller than mine. This clearly establishes that the sister's apartment < Sophie's apartment in size. That makes C the correct answer: L'appartement de la sœur de Sophie est plus petit que l'appartement de Sophie. Here's why the other choices miss the mark. A reverses the comparison entirely — it claims Sophie's apartment is smaller than her sister's, which is the opposite of what Sophie says. This is a classic reversal trap: the sentence explicitly states the sister's place is the smaller one. B is doubly wrong — it claims the sister's apartment is the largest of the two, when in fact it is the smallest. If you misread "plus petit" as a positive quality or confused the subject, you might fall into this trap. D suggests both apartments are equally small, but Sophie uses a comparative structure ("encore plus petit"), not an equality structure like "aussi petit que" — so equal size is clearly not what she's saying. As a study tip: whenever you see a French comparison question, underline who/what is being compared and which direction the adjective goes. Confusion almost always comes from swapping subjects — so always ask yourself, who has more, and who has less?

Question 4

You want to say in French that your dog runs faster than your cat. Which sentence is grammatically correct and accurately expresses this comparison?

  1. Mon chien court plus vite que mon chat. (correct answer)
  2. Mon chien court plus rapide que mon chat.
  3. Mon chien est plus vite que mon chat pour courir.
  4. Mon chien court aussi vite que mon chat.
Explanation: When making comparisons in French, you need to pay close attention to what kind of word you're modifying — an adjective, a noun, or an adverb — because the structure changes accordingly. Here, you're comparing how two animals run, which means you need to modify the verb "courir," and that calls for an adverb. The word vite is already an adverb meaning "quickly/fast," so it fits perfectly after the verb court. The comparison structure plus + adverb + que gives you "plus vite que," making option A — Mon chien court plus vite que mon chat — the grammatically correct and natural way to express that your dog runs faster than your cat. Option B uses rapide, which is an adjective, not an adverb. You can't modify a verb with an adjective in French, so "court plus rapide" is grammatically wrong. Option C uses est plus vite, which treats vite as a predicate adjective after être — but vite doesn't function that way. You'd need rapide there (est plus rapide), and even then, the phrase "pour courir" makes the sentence awkward and unnatural. Option D uses aussi... que, which means "as fast as" — expressing equality, not superiority. That changes the meaning entirely, saying your dog and cat run at the same speed. A handy tip: when you see a verb being compared, look for an adverb (like vite, bien, mal) to pair with plus/moins/aussi... que. If you're comparing nouns or using être, switch to an adjective like rapide.

Question 5

Paul et Julien discutent de leurs cours universitaires. Paul dit : « Le cours de mathématiques est difficile pour moi, mais le cours de chimie est moins difficile que les maths. » Julien répond : « C'est le contraire pour moi ! »

D'après la réponse de Julien, quelle affirmation est la plus logique ?

  1. Pour Julien, le cours de chimie est aussi difficile que le cours de mathématiques.
  2. Pour Julien, le cours de chimie est moins difficile que le cours de mathématiques.
  3. Pour Julien, le cours de mathématiques est moins difficile que le cours de chimie. (correct answer)
  4. Pour Julien, les deux cours sont également difficiles et il n'aime ni l'un ni l'autre.
Explanation: When interpreting comparative statements in French, pay close attention to expressions like moins difficile que (less difficult than) and c'est le contraire (it's the opposite). The key skill here is logical reversal — if someone says "the opposite is true for me," every comparison in the original statement gets flipped. Paul states that chemistry is moins difficile que the math course — meaning math is harder for him. When Julien says c'est le contraire pour moi, he is reversing Paul's comparison entirely. That means for Julien, math is the easier subject and chemistry is the harder one. In other words, math is moins difficile que chemistry for Julien — which is exactly what answer C states. Answer A is a trap: it suggests the two courses are equally difficult for Julien, but c'est le contraire signals a reversal, not a balance. Answer B is actually Paul's own opinion restated — chemistry is less difficult than math — which is the original claim, not the opposite. This is the most tempting distractor because it directly mirrors Paul's words, but Julien is explicitly disagreeing. Answer D introduces information about Julien's feelings toward the courses that appears nowhere in the passage; never choose an answer that adds details the text doesn't support. A useful strategy: whenever you see c'est le contraire or similar expressions (au contraire, à l'inverse), mentally rewrite the original sentence with the comparison flipped before evaluating the answer choices. This prevents you from accidentally selecting the original speaker's view as the answer.

Question 6

A student wants to compare two cities by saying 'Paris is more expensive than Lyon.' Which French sentence correctly expresses this idea?

  1. Paris est cher que Lyon.
  2. Paris est plus cher que Lyon. (correct answer)
  3. Paris est plus chère que Lyon.
  4. Paris est le plus cher de Lyon.
Explanation: When making comparisons in French, you need a specific structure that's different from English. The formula for "more [adjective] than" in French is: plus + adjective + que. Think of it like a sandwich — plus comes before the adjective, and que comes after it, meaning "than." With that framework in mind, option B — Paris est plus cher que Lyon — is correct. It follows the formula perfectly: plus (more) + cher (expensive) + que (than) + Lyon. The adjective cher is masculine singular here because it describes Paris, which is treated as masculine in French. Here's why the other options fall short. Option A, Paris est cher que Lyon, is missing plus entirely — you can't form a comparison without it. Simply saying cher que is grammatically incomplete and meaningless. Option C, Paris est plus chère que Lyon, uses the feminine form chère, but Paris is grammatically masculine in French, so the adjective must agree in masculine form (cher), not feminine. This is a classic gender-agreement trap. Option D, Paris est le plus cher de Lyon, uses a superlative construction (le plus cher de = "the most expensive in"), which would mean Paris is the most expensive city within Lyon — a completely different and illogical statement. A handy tip: memorize the comparison template as plus + adj + que and always double-check adjective gender agreement with the subject. French adjectives must match the gender and number of the noun they describe, even in comparisons.

Question 7

Lucas raconte à une amie : « J'ai deux frères. Mon frère aîné, Marc, travaille beaucoup — il fait 50 heures par semaine. Mon frère cadet, Éric, travaille moins que Marc, mais il gagne plus d'argent que lui. »

D'après Lucas, quelle affirmation est correcte ?

  1. Marc gagne plus d'argent qu'Éric et travaille plus qu'Éric.
  2. Éric travaille plus que Marc et gagne moins d'argent que Marc.
  3. Marc et Éric travaillent autant l'un que l'autre, mais Éric gagne plus.
  4. Éric travaille moins que Marc et gagne plus d'argent que Marc. (correct answer)
Explanation: When reading a French comprehension passage, your job is to match each detail in the text precisely to the answer choices — one misread word can send you to the wrong answer entirely. Lucas tells us two things about his brothers: first, that Éric travaille moins que Marc (works less than Marc), and second, that Éric gagne plus d'argent que lui (earns more money than him, i.e., than Marc). These two facts together point directly to D — Éric works less than Marc and earns more than Marc. That's exactly what the passage says, word for word. Here's where the other options go wrong. A claims Marc earns more than Éric — the opposite of what the passage states. It correctly notes Marc works more, but reverses the salary comparison, making it a half-right, half-wrong trap. B says Éric works more than Marc, which directly contradicts "travaille moins que Marc" — this reverses the work comparison entirely. C claims the brothers work the same amount ("autant l'un que l'autre"), but the passage clearly establishes a difference in hours; Marc works 50 hours a week and Éric works less. A helpful strategy: in French reading comprehension, watch out for comparisons — words like plus que, moins que, and autant que are easy to mix up or reverse under time pressure. When you spot a comparison, slow down and ask: who is the subject, and which direction does the comparison go? Jotting a quick "Marc > Éric (work), Marc < Éric (money)" note can prevent costly errors.

Question 8

A French speaker says: « Ce film est meilleur que l'autre. » What is the correct interpretation of this sentence?

  1. This film is more good than the other one, since 'meilleur' is formed by adding 'plus' to 'bon.'
  2. This film is better than the other one, using the irregular comparative adjective for 'bon.' (correct answer)
  3. This film is the best of all, using the superlative form of the adjective 'bon.'
  4. This film is as good as the other one, using the equality comparative of the adjective 'bon.'
Explanation: When dealing with comparatives and superlatives in French, the first thing to recognize is whether the base adjective follows regular or irregular patterns — because some of the most common adjectives, like bon (good), behave differently than you might expect. In French, bon does not form its comparative by adding plus (the regular method). Instead, it has an irregular comparative form: meilleur(e), which directly translates to "better." So « Ce film est meilleur que l'autre » means This film is better than the other one — making B the correct answer. The structure meilleur que is the standard way to express "better than" in French. Here's why the other choices miss the mark: A describes how regular adjectives form comparatives (plus + adjective), but applying this logic to bon is the exact error French learners commonly make — saying plus bon is grammatically incorrect in standard French. C confuses the comparative with the superlative. The superlative of bon would be le meilleur (the best), and it would not include que l'autre — that phrasing signals a comparison between two things, not a ranking among all. D describes the equality comparative, which uses the structure aussi… que (as… as), not meilleur que, so this is simply the wrong grammatical pattern. A helpful memory trick: think of the English pair good → better → best and match it to French bon → meilleur → le meilleur. Whenever you see meilleur, your brain should immediately flag "irregular comparative of bon," not "regular plus form."

Question 9

Which French sentence correctly means 'My sister speaks French as well as my mother'?

  1. Ma sœur parle le français aussi bien que ma mère. (correct answer)
  2. Ma sœur parle le français plus bien que ma mère.
  3. Ma sœur parle le français aussi bonne que ma mère.
  4. Ma sœur parle le français autant bien que ma mère.
Explanation: When making comparisons of equality in French — saying something is "as [adjective] as" something else — you need the construction aussi + adjective + que. This is different from English, where "as well as" might feel like a single phrase, but in French you must use the correct comparative structure with the right form of the word. The sentence you're translating uses "as well as," where "well" is modifying the verb parle (she speaks). That means you need an adverb, not an adjective. In French, bien is the adverb meaning "well," while bonne is a feminine adjective meaning "good." The correct construction is aussi bien que, giving you option A: Ma sœur parle le français aussi bien que ma mère. This is grammatically perfect — adverb bien sandwiched between aussi and que. Looking at the wrong answers: B uses plus bien, which is not standard French. The comparative of bien is mieux (better), not plus bien — this is a direct interference from English logic ("more well"). C uses bonne instead of bien, which is the adjective form and would describe a noun, not a verb — saying someone speaks "as good as" rather than "as well as." D uses autant bien, which is incorrect because autant compares quantities or amounts (autant de travail — as much work), not qualities described by adverbs. A handy tip: whenever you compare how someone does something in French, reach for aussi + adverb + que, and remember that bien (adverb) and bonne (adjective) are not interchangeable.