Mandarin Chinese 1 Quiz: How Many How Much Questions
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How Many How Much QuestionsQuestion 1 of 10

Li Mei is at a market and wants to buy some apples. She asks the vendor how many apples are in a bag.

Li Mei wants to ask 'How many apples are in this bag?' Which of the following sentences correctly uses the appropriate question word and measure word?

这个袋子里有多少个苹果？(Zhège dàizi lǐ yǒu duōshao gè píngguǒ?)
这个袋子里有几多苹果？(Zhège dàizi lǐ yǒu jǐ duō píngguǒ?)
这个袋子里有什么苹果？(Zhège dàizi lǐ yǒu shénme píngguǒ?)
这个袋子里有多苹果？(Zhège dàizi lǐ yǒu duō píngguǒ?)
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Mandarin Chinese 1 Quiz

Mandarin Chinese 1 Quiz: How Many How Much Questions

Practice How Many How Much Questions in Mandarin Chinese 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 How Many How Much Questions, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for Mandarin Chinese 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

Li Mei is at a market and wants to buy some apples. She asks the vendor how many apples are in a bag.

Li Mei wants to ask 'How many apples are in this bag?' Which of the following sentences correctly uses the appropriate question word and measure word?

  1. 这个袋子里有多少个苹果？(Zhège dàizi lǐ yǒu duōshao gè píngguǒ?) (correct answer)
  2. 这个袋子里有几多苹果？(Zhège dàizi lǐ yǒu jǐ duō píngguǒ?)
  3. 这个袋子里有什么苹果？(Zhège dàizi lǐ yǒu shénme píngguǒ?)
  4. 这个袋子里有多苹果？(Zhège dàizi lǐ yǒu duō píngguǒ?)
Explanation: When asking "how many?" in Mandarin, you need to choose between two question words: 多少 (duōshao) and 几 (jǐ). Both mean "how many," but they work differently. 多少 is used when the expected number could be large or unknown, and it's typically paired with a measure word (though the measure word is sometimes optional). 几 is used when you expect a smaller number (usually under 10) and must be followed by a measure word. Knowing which word fits the context — and how to pair it with the right measure word — is exactly what this question tests. Option A is correct. 多少个苹果 uses 多少 (appropriate for an unknown quantity of apples in a bag) followed by the measure word 个 (gè), the standard measure word for individual objects like apples. The sentence is grammatically complete and natural. Option B, 几多, is not a valid Mandarin construction. You cannot combine 几 and 多 together — this is a direct error and doesn't exist as a question form in standard Mandarin. Option C uses 什么 (shénme), which means "what kind/type," not "how many." This would be asking about the type of apples, not the quantity — a completely different question. Option D uses 多 (duō) alone, which means "many" as an adjective, not as a question word. It cannot stand alone to ask "how many?" Study tip: Memorize the pattern 多少 + measure word + noun for asking about unknown quantities. When you see a "how many?" question, immediately check whether the question word and measure word are both present and correctly paired.

Question 2

Wang Fang is shopping for a jacket. She wants to ask the shopkeeper how much the jacket costs.

Which sentence correctly asks 'How much does this jacket cost?' and uses the most natural phrasing for a price inquiry in Mandarin?

  1. 这件夹克多少钱？(Zhè jiàn jiākè duōshao qián?) (correct answer)
  2. 这件夹克几钱？(Zhè jiàn jiākè jǐ qián?)
  3. 这件夹克多钱？(Zhè jiàn jiākè duō qián?)
  4. 这件夹克有多少？(Zhè jiàn jiākè yǒu duōshao?)
Explanation: When asking about prices in Mandarin, the key phrase to master is 多少钱 (duōshao qián), which literally means "how much money." This is the standard, universally understood expression for price inquiries in everyday Chinese shopping contexts. Option A — 这件夹克多少钱？— is the correct and most natural phrasing. It combines the measure word 件 (jiàn, used for clothing items), the item 夹克 (jiākè, jacket), and the fixed price-question formula 多少钱. This structure is used constantly in markets, stores, and restaurants across the Chinese-speaking world. Option B uses 几钱 (jǐ qián), which is a common trap. While 几 can mean "how many," it's used for smaller, expected quantities (typically under ten) and sounds unnatural when asking about prices. Native speakers simply don't use this construction for money inquiries. Option C tries 多钱 (duō qián), which doesn't exist as a grammatical phrase in standard Mandarin. 多 alone cannot function as a question word for quantity the way 多少 does — it needs 少 to complete the expression. Option D — 这件夹克有多少？— drops 钱 entirely and adds 有 (yǒu, "to have"). Without 钱, you're asking "how much does this jacket have?" which is meaningless without specifying what it has. The sentence loses its purpose as a price question entirely. Your study tip: memorize 多少钱？ as a complete, indivisible chunk. It's one of the most practical phrases in Mandarin and appears constantly on shopping-related exam questions.

Question 3

Read the following short exchange:

A: 你们班有多少个学生？ B: 我们班有三十个学生。

Based on the exchange above, what is Person A asking, and what information does Person B provide in response?

  1. A asks how many students are in B's class; B answers that there are thirty students in the class. (correct answer)
  2. A asks what grade the students are in; B answers that the students are in the third grade of the class.
  3. A asks how many classes the school has; B answers that the school has thirty classes in total.
  4. A asks how many teachers are in the school; B answers that there are thirty teachers working there.
Explanation: When reading a Chinese dialogue, your first job is to identify the key question word and the subject of the sentence — these two elements determine everything about what's being asked and answered. In Person A's question, 你们班 means "your class," 多少个 means "how many," and 学生 means "students." So A is asking: "How many students are in your class?" Person B responds with 我们班有三十个学生 — "Our class has thirty students." The number 三十 means thirty (三 = three, 十 = ten, so 3×10 = 30). This makes A the correct answer: A asks how many students are in B's class, and B confirms there are thirty. Choice B is wrong because neither speaker mentions 年级 (grade level) or anything about which grade students are in — 三十 is a quantity, not a grade number. Choice C confuses 班 (class/classroom) with the entire school, and neither person discusses the number of classes the school has. Choice D introduces 老师 (teachers), which never appears anywhere in the exchange — this is a classic distractor that swaps one noun for another, hoping you'll misread quickly. A useful strategy: always locate the question word first (多少 = how many, 什么 = what, 哪里 = where) and the noun it modifies. Together, they tell you exactly what information is being requested — and that's what you match to the response.

Question 4

A teacher asks two students the same question: 你家有几口人？(Nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ kǒu rén?)

Student 1 answers: 我家有四口人。 Student 2 answers: 我家有四个人。

Which student's answer is grammatically correct, and why?

  1. Neither student is correct, because answering a 几 question requires using 多少 in the response rather than repeating the same measure word from the question.
  2. Only Student 2 is correct, because 个 (gè) is the most versatile measure word in Mandarin and should replace specialized measure words like 口 whenever possible.
  3. Both students are correct, because 口 and 个 are fully interchangeable for all uses of 人 in Mandarin with no difference in meaning or register.
  4. Only Student 1 is correct, because 口 (kǒu) is the specific measure word conventionally used with 人 (rén) when counting family members, and the standard answer mirrors the measure word used in the original question. (correct answer)
Explanation: When counting people in the context of family members, Mandarin uses a specific measure word: 口 (kǒu). This question tests whether you understand that Mandarin has specialized measure words for particular contexts, and that mirroring the measure word from the original question is the grammatically appropriate way to respond. Student 1's answer — 我家有四口人 — is correct because it uses 口, the conventional measure word for counting household members. The question itself uses 几口人, signaling that 口 is the expected measure word in this family-counting context. Matching that measure word in your response is both grammatically sound and culturally standard in Mandarin. Now let's look at why the other choices miss the mark. A is wrong because there's no rule requiring you to use 多少 in a response to a 几 question — you simply answer with the appropriate number and measure word. B is wrong because while 个 is indeed the most versatile and commonly used measure word in Mandarin, "most versatile" doesn't mean "always correct." Using 个 instead of 口 in the family-counting context is technically understandable but not the standard, conventional form — 口 specifically signals household members. C is wrong because 口 and 个 are not fully interchangeable; 口 carries a specific cultural connotation tied to family/household counts, making it the preferred form here. As a study tip: in Mandarin, measure words are rarely random — they carry semantic meaning. Whenever you see 几口人 in a question about family, treat 口 as a fixed collocation with family-counting and use it in your response.

Question 5

A student sees the price tag on a bottle of water showing ¥2 and wants to ask the cashier to confirm the price. Which sentence best asks 'Is this water two yuan?' using knowledge of how price questions and answers work in Mandarin?

  1. 这瓶水多少二钱？(Zhè píng shuǐ duōshao èr qián?)
  2. 这瓶水二块钱吗？(Zhè píng shuǐ èr kuài qián ma?)
  3. 这瓶水两块钱吗？(Zhè píng shuǐ liǎng kuài qián ma?) (correct answer)
  4. 这瓶水有两钱吗？(Zhè píng shuǐ yǒu liǎng qián ma?)
Explanation: When asking about prices in Mandarin, two key concepts work together: the correct word for "two" and the proper currency vocabulary. Getting either wrong produces an unnatural or grammatically broken sentence. The number "two" in Mandarin has two forms: 二 (èr) and 两 (liǎng). While 二 is used in counting sequences (1, 2, 3…), 两 is required before measure words like 块, 瓶, 个, etc. Since 块 (kuài) is a measure word functioning as the spoken unit for yuan, you must say 两块 — never 二块. The full phrase 两块钱 (liǎng kuài qián) means "two yuan," where 块 is the colloquial unit and 钱 reinforces "money." Adding 吗 at the end converts the statement into a yes/no question. This makes C — 这瓶水两块钱吗？ the correct sentence. Looking at the distractors: A misuses 多少 (duōshao), which means "how much/many" and is used for open-ended quantity questions — you wouldn't combine it with a specific number like 二 in the same phrase. The structure is self-contradicting. B uses 二块钱 instead of 两块钱, breaking the rule that 两, not 二, must precede measure words. This is one of the most common errors beginners make. D inserts 有 (yǒu, "to have/exist"), which doesn't fit price confirmation structures — saying "Does this water have two money?" is not grammatically meaningful in Mandarin. Your study tip: whenever you see the number 2 before a measure word in Mandarin, default to 两, not 二. Think "两 goes before liangge measure words" as your memory hook.

Question 6

Read the following dialogue:

A: 请问，这里到北京火车站有多远？ B: 大概有二十公里。 A: 那要走多长时间？ B: 坐地铁大概三十分钟。

In the dialogue above, Person A uses two different 'how much/how many' type question structures. What are the two things Person A is asking about?

  1. A first asks how far the train station is from Beijing city center, then asks how long the train ride to another city takes.
  2. A first asks about the cost of a ticket to Beijing, then asks how many stops the subway has along the route.
  3. A first asks about the distance to Beijing Train Station, then asks about the travel time needed to get there. (correct answer)
  4. A first asks which direction Beijing Train Station is in, then asks how many kilometers the subway line covers.
Explanation: When reading Chinese dialogues, pay close attention to question words — they signal exactly what information is being requested. In Mandarin, 多远 (duō yuǎn) means "how far" and 多长时间 (duō cháng shíjiān) means "how long (in time)." These are the two question structures Person A uses here. In the first line, A asks: 请问，这里到北京火车站有多远？ — "Excuse me, how far is it from here to Beijing Train Station?" The key phrase is 到北京火车站 (to Beijing Train Station) combined with 多远 (how far), asking about distance. B confirms this by answering with 二十公里 (20 kilometers). In the second question, A asks 那要走多长时间？ — "How long does it take to get there?" B answers with 三十分钟 (30 minutes) by 地铁 (subway). This confirms C is correct: A asks about distance first, then travel time. Choice A is wrong because A never asks about "Beijing city center" — the destination is the train station — and no train ride to another city is mentioned. Choice B is entirely fabricated; there is no mention of ticket costs or subway stops anywhere in the dialogue. Choice D misreads the first question as asking about direction (方向) rather than distance (多远), and the second question is about travel time, not kilometers covered by the subway line. As a study tip, memorize common Mandarin question words in pairs: 多远 (how far) vs. 多长时间 (how long) — they appear frequently in transportation dialogues and are easy to confuse when reading quickly.

Question 7

A student wants to ask a friend 'How old are you?' in a casual, age-appropriate way for a peer (not an elder or a very young child). Which sentence is correct AND most natural for this context?

  1. 你多少岁？(Nǐ duōshao suì?)
  2. 你几岁？(Nǐ jǐ suì?)
  3. 你多少大了？(Nǐ duōshao dà le?)
  4. 你多大了？(Nǐ duō dà le?) (correct answer)
Explanation: When asking someone's age in Mandarin, the phrasing you choose signals both grammatical correctness and social context. The key distinction here is between 几 (jǐ), 多少 (duōshao), and 多大 (duō dà) — each carries different assumptions about the expected answer and the age of the person being asked. D) 你多大了？ is the correct and most natural choice for asking a peer's age. 多大 literally means "how big/old" and is the standard, colloquial way adults and teenagers ask each other's age. The particle 了 adds a conversational, natural feel, making it sound fluid rather than stiff. B) 你几岁？ is grammatically correct but is typically reserved for young children — it implies the answer will be a small number (under 10). Using it with a peer sounds condescending or odd, as if you're treating them like a toddler. A) 你多少岁？ is technically understandable but sounds unnatural and overly formal to native speakers. 多少 is used for quantities that could be large or unknown, and pairing it with 岁 in this structure feels awkward — native speakers rarely say it this way in casual conversation. C) 你多少大了？ is simply grammatically incorrect. You cannot combine 多少 with 大 like this — it's a mistaken blend of structures that no native speaker would use. A useful tip: think of 几岁 → children, 多大 → peers and adults. This age-register distinction comes up frequently in Mandarin conversation courses, so memorizing that pairing will serve you well.

Question 8

Which of the following sentences correctly answers the question 你有几本书？(Nǐ yǒu jǐ běn shū?) with the meaning 'I have five books'?

  1. 我有五书。(Wǒ yǒu wǔ shū.)
  2. 我有五本书。(Wǒ yǒu wǔ běn shū.) (correct answer)
  3. 我有书五本。(Wǒ yǒu shū wǔ běn.)
  4. 我有本五书。(Wǒ yǒu běn wǔ shū.)
Explanation: When counting objects in Mandarin, you can't simply place a number directly before a noun. You must insert a measure word (量词, liàngcí) between the number and the noun. Think of measure words as the "unit" that classifies the noun — similar to saying "five sheets of paper" or "two pieces of cake" in English. The question 你有几本书？already gives you a clue: 几 (how many) is paired with 本 (běn), the measure word for bound objects like books. Your answer needs to mirror that same structure. The correct answer is B: 我有五本书。 It follows the proper Mandarin word order: subject + verb + number + measure word + noun (我 + 有 + 五 + 本 + 书). This is the standard, grammatically complete structure. A (我有五书) drops the measure word 本 entirely, placing the number directly before the noun. This is a very common learner mistake — Mandarin almost always requires a measure word between a number and a noun. C (我有书五本) moves the noun 书 in front of the number-measure word pair. While this word order can occasionally appear in poetic or emphatic speech, it is not standard and does not correctly answer this question. D (我有本五书) scrambles the order by placing the measure word before the number, which is never grammatically correct in Mandarin. A helpful study tip: whenever you learn a new noun in Mandarin, memorize its measure word at the same time — think of 本书, 张纸, 条鱼 as fixed pairs.

Question 9

A student wants to ask a classmate how many siblings they have. The expected answer is a small number (likely under 10). Which sentence is the MOST natural and appropriate choice in this context?

  1. 你有多少兄弟姐妹？(Nǐ yǒu duōshao xiōngdì jiěmèi?)
  2. 你有几个兄弟姐妹？(Nǐ yǒu jǐ gè xiōngdì jiěmèi?) (correct answer)
  3. 你有多个兄弟姐妹？(Nǐ yǒu duō gè xiōngdì jiěmèi?)
  4. 你有什么兄弟姐妹？(Nǐ yǒu shénme xiōngdì jiěmèi?)
Explanation: When asking "how many?" in Mandarin, the choice between 几 (jǐ) and 多少 (duōshao) is one of the most important distinctions to master. The key rule: use 几 when you expect a small number (roughly under 10), and always pair it with a measure word. Use 多少 when the quantity is unknown or potentially large, and a measure word is optional. Since siblings typically number in the single digits, B) 你有几个兄弟姐妹？ is the most natural and appropriate choice. The structure 几个 (jǐ gè) — using the general measure word 个 (gè) — signals that you're expecting a modest, countable answer. Native speakers would immediately reach for 几 in this everyday, conversational context. A) 你有多少兄弟姐妹？ is grammatically correct but sounds slightly unnatural here. 多少 implies you genuinely don't know whether the answer might be large, making it better suited for questions like "How many students are in your school?" Using it for siblings makes the question feel oddly formal or uncertain. C) 你有多个兄弟姐妹？ is a common trap. 多个 doesn't mean "how many" — it means "multiple" or "several." This sentence asserts the person has multiple siblings rather than asking a question at all. It's a statement, not an interrogative. D) 你有什么兄弟姐妹？ uses 什么 (shénme), which means "what" — not "how many." This would awkwardly ask what kind of siblings someone has, not the quantity. Study tip: Remember the pairing rule — 几 always needs a measure word (几个、几只、几本), while 多少 can stand alone. If the expected answer is under 10, 几 is your go-to.

Question 10

A student wants to ask 'How many cups of tea did you drink today?' Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct and uses the proper measure word and question word?

  1. 你今天喝了多少杯茶？(Nǐ jīntiān hē le duōshao bēi chá?) (correct answer)
  2. 你今天喝了几茶杯？(Nǐ jīntiān hē le jǐ chá bēi?)
  3. 你今天喝了多少茶的杯子？(Nǐ jīntiān hē le duōshao chá de bēizi?)
  4. 你今天喝了几多杯茶？(Nǐ jīntiān hē le jǐ duō bēi chá?)
Explanation: When asking "how many" questions in Mandarin, you need to choose between two question words: 多少 (duōshao) for larger or open-ended quantities, and 几 (jǐ) for smaller numbers (typically under 10). Critically, both words must pair with the correct measure word placed between the question word and the noun. For tea consumed in cups, the measure word is 杯 (bēi), meaning "cup of." Answer A — 你今天喝了多少杯茶？— is correct because it follows the proper structure: verb + 多少 + measure word (杯) + noun (茶). The question word and measure word work together naturally, and the sentence flows grammatically. Answer B fails on two levels: the measure word 杯 is placed after the noun 茶, and the characters are merged oddly as 茶杯 (which means "teacup" as an object, not a unit of measurement). The word order is completely reversed from what Mandarin requires. Answer C uses 茶的杯子, which translates awkwardly as "cups belonging to tea" — a grammatical mess. 杯子 means a physical cup (the container), not the measure word for quantity. You're counting drinks consumed, not objects owned. Answer D combines 几多 as if they work together — they don't. 几 and 多少 are separate question words and cannot be fused into a single compound. This is a classic trap for learners who confuse the two terms. Study tip: Always remember the Mandarin quantity formula — Question Word + Measure Word + Noun — and never skip or misplace the measure word, even in questions.