I was doing an English test, and it appeared the question below. The question was stated exactly the way it is presented and there is no context, just the question:
Complete with the correct form:
How ___ does it take from your house to work?
A) Far
B) Long
C) Often
D) Many
I am in doubt between how far and how long. Without a context it is complicated to answer. I would like to know from you guys, what do you think or what expression is more used?
"How far does it take..." does not sound right. The answer is "long" regardless of any context here.
"How far do you have to travel to get to work?" Would be the way to ask the question if distance was the focus.
Edit: Something not sounding right isn't enough of a reason so here's another way to think about this. Things "take" time, not distance.
It takes a minute to walk there.
Correct.
It takes a meter to walk there.
Incorrect.
The "does it take" part is the hint in this case: You could reasonably ask how far it is from your house to work. "Does it take" however is short for "does it take you to travel/to go from your house to work". In that case, the only word that fits is "long".
"How far is it from your house to work?"
"How long does it take from your house to work?"
"How often doe you go from your house to your work?"
"How many miles is it from your house to your work?"
"How many times per week do you go from your house to your work?"
The different options that are given all come with different idioms to complete the question.
