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Despite Vs In Spite 'Of' Quiz (Level A2-B1) - Grammar Practice

⏱ Time: 07:30 📝 Questions: 15 📊 Level: A2, B1 📚 Type: Grammar ⭐ XP: up to +15 (on pass)

Preparing for an English exam? Practise Despite Vs In Spite Of with 15 exercises at Level A2-B1. The questions mirror real exam formats — multiple choice, true/false, and matching — so you get familiar with the question styles while reviewing key grammar concepts.

⏱ You have 07:30 to answer 15 questions. The timer only starts when you click Begin.

Q1  15
Q1 15

Question 1: She passed the exam ___ the difficulty of the questions.

Question 1 options
'Despite' is correct because it is a preposition used directly before a noun phrase to show contrast. 'Although' requires a subject and verb. 'Despite of' is always incorrect. 'In despite of' is not a real English phrase.
Q2 15

Question 2: ___ the cold weather, the children played outside all afternoon.

Question 2 options
'In spite of' is correct because it is a prepositional phrase followed by a noun phrase ('the cold weather') to introduce a contrast. 'In spite' alone is incomplete. 'Spite of' is missing the word 'in'. 'Despite of' incorrectly adds 'of' after 'despite'.
Q3 15

Question 3: 'Despite' and 'in spite of' have the same meaning and can be used interchangeably in most sentences.

Question 3 options
True because both 'despite' and 'in spite of' are prepositions that introduce a contrast, and they are synonymous. The only difference is form: 'despite' is one word, while 'in spite of' is a three-word phrase.
Q4 15

Question 4: What is the main purpose of using 'despite' or 'in spite of' in a sentence?

Question 4 options
'Despite' and 'in spite of' are used to show contrast — that something happened even though there was an obstacle or opposing condition. They do not show reason, time, or addition.
Q5 15

Question 5: Arrange the words to make a correct sentence:

Question 5 options
  • fell asleep
  • quickly
  • In spite of
  • she
  • the noise,

Drag items or use arrows to arrange them in the correct order.

The correct order is 'In spite of the noise, she fell asleep quickly' because 'in spite of' introduces a noun phrase contrast at the start, followed by the main clause.
Q6 15

Question 6: Which sentence is grammatically correct?

Question 6 options
'Despite feeling tired' is correct because 'despite' can be followed by a gerund (-ing form). 'Despite she was tired' incorrectly uses a full clause after 'despite'. 'Despite of being tired' wrongly adds 'of'. 'In despite of feeling tired' is not a real English phrase.
Q7 15

Question 7: Two friends are talking. Anna says: 'Did you enjoy the trip?' Ben replies: '___ the long journey, it was a wonderful experience.' Which option completes Ben's sentence correctly?

Question 7 options
'Despite' correctly introduces the noun phrase 'the long journey' to show contrast with the positive experience. 'Even' cannot directly precede a noun phrase this way. 'But' is a conjunction and cannot start this clause. 'Because of' shows reason, not contrast.
Q8 15

Question 8: Which sentence correctly uses 'in spite of' instead of 'although'?

Question 8 options
'In spite of the rain, we went for a walk' is correct because 'in spite of' is followed by a noun phrase. 'In spite of it rained' uses a full clause, which is wrong. 'In spite of it was raining' also uses a full clause incorrectly. 'In spite the rain' is missing 'of'.
Q9 15

Question 9: Put the words in the correct order:

Question 9 options
  • He
  • despite
  • arrived on time
  • the heavy traffic

Drag items or use arrows to arrange them in the correct order.

The correct order is 'He arrived on time despite the heavy traffic' because 'despite' introduces the noun phrase contrast at the end of the main clause.
Q10 15

Question 10: The manager kept smiling ___ the bad news she had just received.

Question 10 options
'In spite of' is correct here because it is followed by the noun phrase 'the bad news', showing contrast. 'In spite' alone is incomplete. 'Despite of' incorrectly adds 'of' after 'despite'. 'Although' requires a subject and verb, not a noun phrase.
Q11 15

Question 11: Look at this sentence: 'Despite having no map, the hikers found the right path.' Which statement about this sentence is true?

Question 11 options
'Despite' is followed by a gerund phrase ('having no map') here, which is one of the three correct structures: noun, pronoun, or gerund (-ing form). It is not followed by a full clause or an adjective alone.
Q12 15

Question 12: Original sentence: 'Even though the test was hard, Lisa did very well.' Rewrite using 'despite': 'Lisa did very well ___ the test.'

Question 12 options
'Despite the difficulty of' correctly transforms 'even though the test was hard' into a noun phrase structure required after 'despite'. 'Despite the test was hard' incorrectly uses a full clause. 'Despite of the difficulty of' wrongly adds 'of' after 'despite'. 'Despite it being hard' changes the meaning slightly and doesn't fit the given sentence start.
Q13 15

Question 13: Match each sentence to the correct grammar label.

Question 13 options
Despite the cold, she wore a light jacket.
In spite of losing, the team was proud.
Despite the challenges, he succeeded.
In spite of it all, she stayed calm.
'Despite' followed by a noun
'Despite' used to introduce a contrast
'In spite of' followed by a gerund
'In spite of' followed by a pronoun phrase

Select an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.

'Despite' and 'in spite of' can be followed by a noun, a pronoun, or a gerund (-ing form). They cannot be followed by a full subject-verb clause.
Q14 15

Question 14: It is correct to write 'despite of the rain' to introduce a contrast in English.

Question 14 options
False because 'despite' is a preposition on its own and never takes 'of' after it. The correct form is simply 'despite the rain'. Only 'in spite of' uses the word 'of'.
Q15 15

Question 15: Which sentence is more appropriate for formal written English?

Question 15 options
'Despite the economic challenges, the project succeeded' is more appropriate for formal writing because 'despite' is considered slightly more formal than 'in spite of'. Both are grammatically correct, but 'despite' is preferred in formal and written contexts.