A2 Prepositions of Time (In On At) Test 2 – 15 Questions with Detailed Explanations

A2 Prepositions of Time (In On At) Test 2 – 15 Questions with Detailed Explanations

Practice A2 prepositions of time with this 15-question English grammar test. Learn how to use in, on, and at with clock times, days, dates, months, years, seasons, holidays, and parts of the day for IELTS, TOEFL, YDS, and general English exams.

Prepositions of time are used to show when something happens. At A2 level, learners should understand the basic difference between in, on, and at. We usually use at with exact times, on with days and dates, and in with months, years, seasons, and parts of the day.

 

RESULTS

#1. The movie starts ___ 8 o’clock.

on

at

in

#2. We usually travel ___ summer.

in

on

at

#3. Her birthday party is ___ Saturday.

at

in

on

#4. I was born ___ April.

on

in

at

#5. The train leaves ___ noon.

in

at

on

#6. They have a meeting ___ Tuesday afternoon.

in

on

at

#7. My father works late ___ night.

on

at

in

#8. We moved to this city ___ 2020.

at

in

on

#9. The lesson begins ___ half past nine.

at

on

in

#10. She usually goes jogging ___ the morning.

on

in

at

#11. The exam is ___ June 5th.

in

at

on

#12. I don’t go out much ___ winter.

on

in

at

#13. We visit our cousins ___ New Year’s Day.

on

in

at

#14. He often studies ___ the afternoon.

at

on

in

#15. The shop is closed ___ Christmas.

at

on

in

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Answer Explanations

Question 1 Explanation

The correct answer is at. We use at with exact clock times. “8 o’clock” is a specific time, so it needs at. The sentence means that the movie begins exactly at that time.

Question 2 Explanation

The correct answer is in. We use in with seasons such as summer, winter, spring, and autumn. “Summer” is a season, not a specific day or exact time. The sentence describes a usual travel period during the summer season.

Question 3 Explanation

The correct answer is on. We use on with days of the week. “Saturday” is a specific day, so on is the correct preposition. The sentence tells us the day of the birthday party.

Question 4 Explanation

The correct answer is in. We use in with months when we do not mention a specific date. “April” is a month, so it takes in. The sentence tells us the month when the speaker was born.

Question 5 Explanation

The correct answer is at. We use at with specific points of time. “Noon” means exactly 12 o’clock in the middle of the day. Because it is a fixed time point, at is correct.

Question 6 Explanation

The correct answer is on. We use on with named days and specific parts of named days. “Tuesday afternoon” is a specific afternoon connected to a day of the week. Therefore, on is the correct preposition.

Question 7 Explanation

The correct answer is at. The phrase at night is a fixed time expression in English. We say “in the morning,” “in the afternoon,” and “in the evening,” but we normally say at night. The sentence means that he works late during the night period.

Question 8 Explanation

The correct answer is in. We use in with years. “2020” is a year, so it needs in. The sentence tells us the year when the speakers moved to the city.

Question 9 Explanation

The correct answer is at. We use at with exact times. “Half past nine” means 9:30, which is a specific clock time. The sentence tells us the exact time when the lesson begins.

Question 10 Explanation

The correct answer is in. We use in with general parts of the day, such as the morning, the afternoon, and the evening. “The morning” is a general time period, not an exact time. Therefore, the correct phrase is “in the morning.”

Question 11 Explanation

The correct answer is on. We use on with specific dates. “June 5th” is a date, not only a month. Because the sentence gives a particular day in the calendar, on is the correct preposition.

Question 12 Explanation

The correct answer is in. We use in with seasons. “Winter” is a season, so it takes in. The sentence means that the speaker does not go out much during the winter season.

Question 13 Explanation

The correct answer is on. We use on with specific days and special days. “New Year’s Day” refers to a particular calendar day. Therefore, on is the correct preposition.

Question 14 Explanation

The correct answer is in. We use in with general parts of the day. “The afternoon” is a period of the day, so it takes in. The sentence describes a common study time.

Question 15 Explanation

The correct answer is at. We commonly use at with holiday periods such as Christmas, Easter, and New Year when we mean the general holiday time. In this sentence, “Christmas” refers to the holiday period, not one exact date. Therefore, at is the correct preposition.
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