Mandarin Chinese 1 Quiz: Information Questions
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Information QuestionsQuestion 1 of 10

Li Ming is trying to ask his Chinese friend where the library is, but he cannot remember the correct question word for 'where.' He considers several options before speaking.

Li Ming wants to ask 'Where is the library?' in Mandarin. Which of the following sentences correctly uses the question word for 'where' and follows proper Mandarin word order?

图书馆在哪里？(Túshūguǎn zài nǎlǐ?) — placing the location question word after the verb 在
哪里图书馆在？(Nǎlǐ túshūguǎn zài?) — placing the question word at the beginning before the subject
图书馆哪里在？(Túshūguǎn nǎlǐ zài?) — placing the question word between the subject and verb without the verb 在 following it
在图书馆哪里？(Zài túshūguǎn nǎlǐ?) — placing the verb before the subject and the question word at the end
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Mandarin Chinese 1 Quiz

Mandarin Chinese 1 Quiz: Information Questions

Practice Information 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 Information 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 Ming is trying to ask his Chinese friend where the library is, but he cannot remember the correct question word for 'where.' He considers several options before speaking.

Li Ming wants to ask 'Where is the library?' in Mandarin. Which of the following sentences correctly uses the question word for 'where' and follows proper Mandarin word order?

  1. 图书馆在哪里？(Túshūguǎn zài nǎlǐ?) — placing the location question word after the verb 在 (correct answer)
  2. 哪里图书馆在？(Nǎlǐ túshūguǎn zài?) — placing the question word at the beginning before the subject
  3. 图书馆哪里在？(Túshūguǎn nǎlǐ zài?) — placing the question word between the subject and verb without the verb 在 following it
  4. 在图书馆哪里？(Zài túshūguǎn nǎlǐ?) — placing the verb before the subject and the question word at the end
Explanation: When asking "where" questions in Mandarin, the key concept to understand is in-situ question formation: unlike English, Mandarin keeps question words in the same position where the answer would naturally appear. You don't move them to the front of the sentence. For "Where is the library?", think about how you'd answer: "The library is [at some place]." The structure is Subject + 在 (zài) + Location. So the question word 哪里 (nǎlǐ, "where") simply replaces the location at the end: 图书馆在哪里？ This is why A is correct — the subject 图书馆 comes first, followed by the verb 在, then the question word 哪里. The logic mirrors English word order here, but that's coincidental; what matters is that 哪里 occupies the location slot. B is wrong because it moves 哪里 to the front of the sentence, which is how English forms questions ("Where is the library?") but not Mandarin. This is the most common trap for English speakers learning Chinese. C is wrong because it drops the verb 在 between the subject and 哪里, producing an ungrammatical structure — 在 is essential to indicate existence or location. D is wrong because it places 在 before the subject 图书馆, which scrambles the word order entirely and produces a meaningless phrase. A helpful memory tip: in Mandarin, question words are placeholders, not movers. Ask yourself, "Where would the answer go?" — then put 哪里 exactly there. This principle applies to other question words like 什么 (shénme, "what") and 谁 (shéi, "who") as well.

Question 2

A student wants to ask 'Why are you not going to class today?' in Mandarin. She writes: '你今天为什么不去上课？' Her classmate says the sentence is correct but suggests an alternative word order is also acceptable. Which alternative version is ALSO grammatically correct in Mandarin?

  1. 为什么你今天不去上课？— moving 为什么 to the very beginning of the sentence before the subject (correct answer)
  2. 你今天不去上课为什么？— moving 为什么 to the very end of the sentence as a sentence-final particle
  3. 你为什么今天去不上课？— splitting the verb phrase 去上课 and inserting 为什么 between 去 and 上课
  4. 今天你不去为什么上课？— placing 为什么 directly before the verb 上课 only
Explanation: When you see a question about word order in Mandarin, focus on where question words (疑问词 yíwèncí) like 为什么 can legally appear in a sentence. Unlike English, Mandarin does not move question words to the front as a grammatical requirement — they stay close to the element they modify. However, 为什么 is flexible: it can appear either before the subject or after it, as long as it precedes the verb phrase it questions. The original sentence '你今天为什么不去上课？' is correct, with 为什么 after the subject 你 and the time word 今天. Option A — '为什么你今天不去上课？' — is equally valid. Moving 为什么 to the very front, before the subject, is a well-established alternative in Mandarin. Both positions (pre-subject and post-subject) are grammatically acceptable, making A the correct answer. Option B is wrong because 为什么 cannot function as a sentence-final particle. Placing it at the end of the sentence mimics how some particles (like 吗 or 呢) work, but 为什么 must precede the predicate it interrogates — it cannot dangle at the end. Option C is wrong because splitting 去上课 by inserting 为什么 between 去 and 上课 breaks apart a verb-complement structure. These two verbs form a directional/purposive unit and should not be interrupted. Option D is wrong because placing 为什么 directly before 上课 only — while skipping 不去 — misrepresents what is being questioned and creates an incoherent sentence structure. Study tip: Remember that in Mandarin, 为什么 is flexible at the front of the predicate zone (before or after the subject), but it must always come before the verb phrase — never after it or inside it.

Question 3

A student wants to ask 'How do you go to school?' in Mandarin to find out the mode of transportation someone uses. Which sentence correctly uses the question word for 'how' in this context?

  1. 你怎么去学校？— using 怎么 before the verb to ask about the manner or method of going (correct answer)
  2. 你如何去学校吗？— using 如何 with the yes/no particle 吗 at the end
  3. 你去学校怎么？— placing 怎么 at the end of the sentence after the verb phrase
  4. 你怎么样去学校好？— using 怎么样 with the adjective 好 to express a suggestion rather than a question
Explanation: When asking "how" in Mandarin to inquire about the method or manner of doing something — like transportation — the correct question word is 怎么 (zěnme), and its placement in the sentence is everything. In Mandarin, 怎么 functions as an adverb meaning "how/in what way" and must come directly before the verb it modifies. So 你怎么去学校？ literally means "You how go to school?" — a natural, grammatically correct way to ask about someone's mode of transportation. This is exactly what A does, making it the correct answer. B is flawed in two ways: 如何 (rúhé) is a more formal/literary term for "how" and sounds unnatural in everyday spoken Mandarin. More critically, adding 吗 at the end turns any statement into a yes/no question — you can't combine a question word like 如何 with 吗, as these are two different questioning mechanisms that don't coexist. C places 怎么 at the end of the sentence, after the verb phrase. This is incorrect because 怎么 is an adverb and must precede the verb — it cannot trail behind the action it's asking about. D uses 怎么样 (zěnmeyàng), which asks "how about...?" or "what do you think?" — it's used for suggestions or opinions, not for asking about method. Adding 好 reinforces the suggestion meaning ("How about going to school?"), completely changing the intent of the question. Study tip: Remember that in Mandarin, question words stay in the position of the answer they're seeking — 怎么 belongs before the verb, just like an adverb would.

Question 4

A student writes the following sentence to ask what time a friend wakes up: '你什么时候起床？'

The student's classmate says this sentence is correct but notes there is an important distinction between 什么时候 and 几点 when asking about time. If the student specifically wants to ask 'What time (o'clock) do you wake up?' — expecting an answer like '七点' (7 o'clock) — which question would be MORE precise?

  1. 你怎么起床？— using 怎么 because it can substitute for any time-related question word in casual speech
  2. 你什么时候起床？— using 什么时候 since it covers all possible time expressions including clock time
  3. 你哪天起床？— using 哪天 because it asks about a specific point in time just like 几点
  4. 你几点起床？— using 几点 to ask for a specific clock time expressed in hours (correct answer)
Explanation: When asking about time in Mandarin, you need to distinguish between question words that ask about general time versus specific clock time. This distinction is exactly what this question is testing. 几点 literally means "how many o'clock" — it zeroes in on a specific hour and expects an answer like 七点 (7 o'clock) or 八点半 (8:30). So 你几点起床？is the precise, natural way to ask "What time (o'clock) do you wake up?" Making D the correct answer. 什么时候, used in answer B, means "when" in a broad sense. It can technically accept clock-time answers, but it also invites responses like "in the morning," "on weekdays," or "after breakfast." It's too open-ended when you specifically want an hour. The original sentence in the passage isn't wrong — the classmate confirmed it — but it's simply less precise than 几点 for clock-time questions. Answer A is completely off-track. 怎么 means "how" (asking about manner or method), not "when." 你怎么起床？would awkwardly ask how someone gets out of bed, not what time. Answer C is also wrong. 哪天 means "which day," so 你哪天起床？asks which day someone wakes up — a bizarre question implying they sleep for multiple days. It targets days of the week or calendar dates, not hours. As a study tip, memorize this pairing: 几点 → clock time (o'clock), 什么时候 → general "when." On exam questions, if the expected answer involves a specific hour, 几点 is almost always the better choice.

Question 5

A student wants to ask a friend 'What are you eating?' in Mandarin. The student writes: '你吃什么吗？' A native speaker says this sentence has an error. What is the mistake, and which corrected version is appropriate?

  1. The error is verb placement; the correct sentence is '什么你吃？' — moving 什么 to the front as Mandarin requires question words at the sentence start
  2. The error is using 什么 instead of 哪个; the correct sentence is '你吃哪个吗？' — replacing 什么 with a more specific demonstrative question word
  3. The error is adding 吗 after an information question; the correct sentence is '你吃什么？' — removing 吗 since question words make 吗 redundant (correct answer)
  4. The error is missing a time word; the correct sentence is '你现在吃什么吗？' — adding 现在 to make the sentence grammatically complete
Explanation: When forming questions in Mandarin, you need to understand that there are two distinct question types that follow different grammatical rules and cannot be combined. The first type uses 吗 (ma) at the end of a yes/no question: '你吃饭吗？' ("Are you eating?"). The second type uses an information/question word like 什么 (what), 谁 (who), or 哪里 (where) in place of the unknown — the word order stays the same as a statement, and no 吗 is added. The sentence '你吃什么？' literally places 什么 where the object would be, and the presence of that question word alone signals that it's a question. The student's sentence '你吃什么吗？' mixes both strategies — using 什么 and 吗 together — which is redundant and ungrammatical in Mandarin. The correct fix, as option C states, is simply '你吃什么？', dropping 吗 entirely. Option A is wrong because Mandarin does not front-load question words the way English does ("What are you eating?"). The word order stays subject-verb-object, with 什么 staying in the object position. Option B incorrectly swaps 什么 for 哪个, but this changes the meaning and still incorrectly keeps 吗. Option D adds 现在 ("now"), but a missing time word is never what makes this sentence ungrammatical — it's a distraction. A useful rule of thumb: 吗 and question words are mutually exclusive. If your sentence already contains 什么, 谁, 哪里, or similar words, remove 吗. If you want to use 吗, replace the question word with the actual noun.

Question 6

Two students are practicing Mandarin. Student A wants to find out the reason Student B did not come to the party last night. Student A knows that 为什么 means 'why,' but is unsure how to incorporate the negative past event into the question.

Which sentence correctly asks 'Why didn't you come to the party last night?' in Mandarin?

  1. 为什么你昨晚来没派对？— fronting 为什么 correctly but incorrectly separating 没 from 来, breaking the negation
  2. 你昨晚没来派对为什么？— placing 为什么 at the very end of the sentence as a sentence-final marker
  3. 你昨晚为什么没来派对？— placing 为什么 after the time word and subject, before the negated verb (correct answer)
  4. 你为什么昨晚不来派对了？— using 不 to negate a completed past action and adding 了 sentence-finally
Explanation: When forming questions in Mandarin with interrogative words like 为什么 ("why"), word order is everything. Unlike English, Mandarin keeps the sentence structure largely intact — the question word slots into the sentence rather than moving to the front, and negation must stay directly attached to its verb. In option C, 你昨晚为什么没来派对, the structure flows naturally: subject (你) → time word (昨晚) → question word (为什么) → negated verb (没来) → object (派对). The question word sits after the time expression and before the predicate, which is the correct and natural position in Mandarin. The negator 没 is properly attached to 来, indicating a past action that did not occur. This is your correct answer. Option A fronts 为什么 to the very beginning, which can work stylistically, but the critical error is separating 没 from 来 — writing 来没派对 instead of 没来派对. Negation must directly precede the verb it negates; splitting them creates a grammatically broken sentence. Option B places 为什么 at the very end of the sentence. While some sentence-final particles exist in Mandarin, interrogative words like 为什么 do not function this way — they must appear within the predicate area, not after it. Option D uses 不 instead of 没 to negate the verb. In Mandarin, 没 negates completed or past actions, while 不 expresses habitual or intentional refusal. Using 不 here implies the person chose not to come rather than simply didn't come. Adding 了 at the end further contradicts the 不 negation, making the sentence internally inconsistent. Your takeaway: always pair past/completed action negation with 没, and remember that 为什么 slots inside the sentence — it doesn't float to the end.

Question 7

A student is trying to ask 'How many siblings do you have?' in Mandarin. She considers using either 多少 or 几 as the question word for quantity. Which sentence is most natural and grammatically correct for asking about a small number of siblings?

  1. 你有多少兄弟姐妹？— using 多少, which suits larger or open-ended quantities and does not require a measure word
  2. 你有几个兄弟姐妹？— using 几 with the required measure word 个 for a small, expected number (correct answer)
  3. 你有什么兄弟姐妹？— using 什么 to ask about the type or category of siblings rather than quantity
  4. 你有几兄弟姐妹？— using 几 directly before the noun without the required measure word 个
Explanation: When asking "how many" in Mandarin, the choice between 多少 and 几 depends on the expected size of the number and grammatical rules around measure words. 几 is used when you expect a small, countable answer (typically under ten), while 多少 works for larger or open-ended quantities. Crucially, 几 requires a measure word between it and the noun, whereas 多少 can stand directly before the noun. For siblings, you naturally expect a small number, making 几 the appropriate question word. The correct sentence is B) 你有几个兄弟姐妹？ Here, 几 signals a small expected quantity, and 个 serves as the required measure word before 兄弟姐妹. This sentence is natural, grammatically complete, and idiomatic. A uses 多少, which isn't wrong in the strictest sense — native speakers will understand you — but it implies an open-ended or potentially large quantity, making it less natural for asking about family members. It also omits the measure word 个, which is acceptable with 多少 but awkward here in conversation. C swaps in 什么, which means "what kind/type," so 你有什么兄弟姐妹？asks about the category of siblings rather than the number — a completely different question. D uses 几 correctly in spirit but drops the measure word 个, making it grammatically incomplete. In Mandarin, 几 cannot directly precede a noun; a measure word is obligatory. A handy rule: 几 = small number + measure word required; 多少 = any quantity + measure word optional. Memorize this pairing and you'll navigate most "how many" questions confidently.

Question 8

Read the following mini-dialogue: A: 你好！你是哪国人？ B: 我是美国人。你呢？ A: 我是中国人。你在哪儿工作？ B: 我在一家公司工作。

In the dialogue above, Speaker A asks '你在哪儿工作？' A student claims that '你在哪里工作？' and '你工作在哪儿？' are both equally valid alternatives. Which evaluation of the student's claim is correct?

  1. Both alternatives are equally valid because Mandarin word order is highly flexible and location phrases can appear freely before or after the main verb without any change in acceptability.
  2. '你在哪里工作？' is a valid alternative because 哪儿 and 哪里 are interchangeable synonyms, but '你工作在哪儿？' is awkward because placing the verb before the location phrase disrupts the standard adverbial phrase + verb order. (correct answer)
  3. '你工作在哪儿？' is the more formal alternative and is preferred in written Mandarin, while '你在哪里工作？' is only acceptable in spoken informal contexts.
  4. Neither alternative is valid because the original sentence '你在哪儿工作？' uses a fixed, unchangeable sentence pattern that cannot be restructured with 哪里 or altered in word order.
Explanation: When you see a question about alternative phrasings in Mandarin, you should think about two separate issues: vocabulary substitution and word order rules. This question tests both at once. In Mandarin, 哪儿 and 哪里 both mean "where" and are genuine synonyms — 哪儿 is more common in northern dialects and spoken speech, while 哪里 is slightly more formal but fully interchangeable in standard Mandarin. So swapping one for the other in any sentence is grammatically clean. That makes 你在哪里工作？ a perfectly valid alternative to 你在哪儿工作？ The second substitution is a different story. Mandarin requires that prepositional location phrases (介词短语) function as adverbials and come before the main verb, not after it. The structure is: Subject + 在 + place + Verb. Saying 你工作在哪儿？ — placing the action verb before the location phrase — violates this core word order rule and sounds distinctly unnatural to native speakers. This makes B the correct evaluation of the student's claim. Answer A is wrong because Mandarin word order is not freely flexible — location phrases have a fixed pre-verbal position, and this is a well-established grammatical constraint, not a matter of style. Answer C is wrong because it inverts reality: 哪里 is not restricted to informal speech, and more importantly, 你工作在哪儿？ is not a formal alternative — it's simply incorrect regardless of register. Answer D is wrong because it overcorrects; the sentence can be validly rephrased with 哪里, just not with inverted word order. Study tip: Always remember the Mandarin adverbial order rule — "在 + place" comes before the verb, every time. When evaluating alternative sentences, check vocabulary AND structure separately.

Question 9

Read the following short exchange: A: 你叫什么名字？ B: 我叫王芳。 A:  ？ B: 我是北京人。

Based on B's response '我是北京人,' which question word and sentence best fits the blank in A's second turn?

  1. 你是哪里人？— using 哪里 to ask about B's hometown or place of origin (correct answer)
  2. 你是什么人？— using 什么 to ask about B's identity or background
  3. 你是谁的人？— using 谁的 to ask about whose person B is
  4. 你在哪里？— using 在哪里 to ask about B's current physical location
Explanation: When asking about someone's hometown or place of origin in Mandarin, the key question word is 哪里 (nǎlǐ), meaning "where." The response 我是北京人 literally means "I am a Beijing person," indicating B's place of origin — so the question in the blank must be asking where B is from, not where they currently are or who they are. Answer A, 你是哪里人？, is the correct fit. The structure X是哪里人？is a standard, natural Chinese pattern for asking about someone's hometown or regional identity. It directly elicits the response 我是北京人, making it the perfect match. Answer B, 你是什么人？, uses 什么 (what/which kind), which would sound unnatural and even rude — it implies asking about B's character or what type of person they are, not their origin. This is a classic trap: 什么 and 哪里 both feel like "question words," but they serve very different functions. Answer C, 你是谁的人？, uses 谁的 (whose), meaning "whose person are you?" This implies ownership or allegiance and makes no logical sense in this conversational context about introductions. Answer D, 你在哪里？, does use 哪里, but the verb 在 (to be located at) asks about current physical location, not origin. 我是北京人 would be an odd and illogical answer to this question. As a study tip, memorize the fixed pattern 是哪里人 for asking about hometown — it's one of the most common introductory phrases in Mandarin and frequently tested at the beginner level.

Question 10

Which of the following Mandarin sentences correctly asks 'Who is that person over there?' using the appropriate question word for 'who'?

  1. 那个谁人是？— inserting 谁 inside the demonstrative noun phrase 那个人
  2. 谁是那个人？— placing 谁 at the beginning as the subject of the sentence
  3. 那个人谁是？— placing 谁 between the subject and the verb 是
  4. 那个人是谁？— placing 谁 after the verb 是, where the unknown identity belongs (correct answer)
Explanation: When forming questions in Mandarin, you don't rearrange word order the way English does. Instead, question words like 谁 (shéi, "who") stay exactly where the answer would naturally go in a normal statement. This is the key insight for this question. Think of it this way: if you were stating "That person over there is [someone]," the unknown identity — the answer to "who" — would come after the verb 是. So the question word 谁 belongs in that same position. That gives you 那个人是谁？, which is option D. The sentence literally flows as "That person is who?" — perfectly natural in Mandarin, and the correct answer. Option A (那个谁人是？) inserts 谁 awkwardly inside the noun phrase 那个人, breaking it apart. You cannot split a demonstrative noun phrase this way in Mandarin. Option B (谁是那个人？) places 谁 at the front as the subject, which actually shifts the meaning to something closer to "Who is that specific person?" in an identifying sense — as if pointing to a known individual and asking their identity from a list. More importantly, it treats Mandarin like English, where "who" fronts the sentence. Option C (那个人谁是？) wedges 谁 between the subject and the verb 是, which has no grammatical basis in Mandarin sentence structure. A useful memory trick: in Mandarin, the question word fills the answer's slot. Ask yourself, "Where would the answer go in a statement?" — 谁 goes there. This principle applies to all Mandarin question words, not just 谁.