What do you think about this

I've worked with guys where the third one works, as well.

This is poorly written. Either disaster or failure work fine, though disaster sounds a bit better to me.

B is okay I think but A definitely sounds more natural to me.

C would also work if he was trying to sabotage the project.

Either disaster or failure works. I'd say disaster is more normal in conversation but failure might be more appropriate in formal writing or a report, but there isn't a hard and fast rule on this one.

The common phrase is complete disaster, but failure could as be used less commonly.

Both A and B fit and sound natural. This is a poorly written question.

Disaster

Oddly written question. I’d have answered “failure”

A

Failure

A, B and C are ok. The only one that does not work is the last one. A and B if he tried his best and failed, C if he intentially sabotaged the project, but his team-members managed to save the project.

A b & c could work

The only one that doesn’t work is “achievement”.

Either disaster or failure are what is demanded here, but, if you are sarcastic enough, all four work. (Maybe not achievement.)

It could be either positive or negative, this isn't enough context to be sure.

All besides D can apply honestly

It's interesting that almost everyone is saying that "disaster" is more natural then "failure", but Google Ngram, which takes data from printed books shows that "failure" is a lot more common, no matter whether you select English, American English or British English. Interestingly, "disaster" has been increasing over the past 25 years, although it is still much less than "failure". [https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=complete+disaster%2Ccomplete+failure&year\_start=1800&year\_end=2022&corpus=en&smoothing=3&case\_insensitive=false](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=complete+disaster%2Ccomplete+failure&year_start=1800&year_end=2022&corpus=en&smoothing=3&case_insensitive=false)

B sounds more natural to me. Usually, you don't preface calling something a disaster with a qualifying phrase.

I think it would be “total failure” and “complete disaster” idk why but that sounds more correct than “complete failure”

Complete disaster is the most natural way of saying it. The rest of the answers are valid

Disaster and failure are good in this sentences,both of them have negative meanings. I opt for failure more than disaster.

All of these except achievement can be correct with the right context

Anything but option 4 works and will make sense with the right context but 3 could be very confusing depending on context again

Failure

1 is the best answer, because "complete disaster" is a common, idiomatic noun phrase. 2 is *acceptable*, but it would be slightly more natural with a different adjective, like "utter failure". 3 is *possible* but only when used sarcastically to complain about someone being incompetent (or even malicious) but the team succeeding despite them. 4 is straight up wrong, "complete achievement" doesn't work in this context. (It only works in somewhat artificial situations, like discussing building an achievement structure; you might say something like "this achievement isn't finished yet, but that one over there is a complete achievement".)

The top three could all work, depending on context.

Yea, it seems like A is definitely what they are looking for, but you're right B can work as well, and as many people below have been pointing out, C is perfectly acceptable in the context that the efforts were actually hindering the project (either by accident or on purpose). D is definitely not an option.

It is interesting. I was struggling between 1, 2 however many people think 1 is more natural than 2 naturally.

Three is definitely possible if by 'efforts', you mean sabotage lol.

All of them except the last could technically be correct.

a, b, c work flawlessly, d also works if you aren't sticking to tradition.

needs more context, apart from maybe #4 all of these could work

A and B work fine

failure is correct. Disaster would be a common answer but it isn't the project that is a disaster. The result was. Success and achievement are good things so it would be due to or because of the effort.

I thought failure made more sense, I’m not sure what distinguishes disaster as more correct here.

Disaster is if the results were worse than failure, a complete failure simply means that no part of the project was successful. I don’t think there is one correct answer to this question without providing more context.

A definitely sounds more natural, but C could work depending on the context

Disaster

Option _a_ seems most probable

I would say that it depends of context. "Despite his efforts" is she/he trying to sabotage the project? then success or achievement (this one sounds strange). He tried his best but it wasn't good enough? disaster or failure. Perhaps is a matter of Optimistic/Pessimist view?

Both ‘disaster’ and ‘failure’ work here, but ‘disaster’ gives a deeper sense of how bad the project was. That being said, either way it sounds completely natural

Complete disaster. Because failure has gradations! Complete success = when an asshat succeeds despite his best efforts.

1, 2, and 3 all work... unfortunately...

The problem with being a fluent speaker is that I can conjure an image where all of these make sense, kinda. Some fit better than others, like disaster and failure. I’d say failure is the best, with disaster being more hyperbolic or dramatic. However, I could see success working if someone was trying to sabotage another. And I could see achievement working in a ‘The Producers’ style scenario, but it’s easily the most wonky, unnatural, or ham fisted.

Either A or B, but I think A sounds more natural .

disaster

It was a complete disaster.

B could work ig, but there's just something about "complete disaster" that sounds nice to my English brain

Second one works but first one is most natural and common.

I used to say "failure", even "disaster" in this context fits better.

Options 1, 2, and even 3 can be correct given the proper context.

The first answer is the best, but the first three answers all work.

Yes

first 3 options work here, A is the most idiomatic

Disaster sounds the most natural in such a sentence to be honest. You kind of have to pick what the program would mark as correct not what YOU think is correct

Honestly A,B, or even C could all work.

The first and second both work well. The third is grammatically correct, but less likely.

'complete disaster' is a common phrase. B makes sense but wouldn't be a natives speaker's first choice. C could technically be correct if describing a saboteur

A and B both work equally well; C works sarcastically. D is the only one that doesn't work.

>saw on instagram. It's intentionally poorly written to drive engagement.

These tests are all pointless. There isn't a true answer for these questions. They all fit and can be used depending on the context.

Hi everyone

Depends on his intentions! If he’s trying to see it succeed, then A or B both work If he’s trying to sabotage it, C works!

Disaster collocates better than failure. It's A

Complete failure seems more common. Complete disaster could also work but is less common. A Google Ngram comparison of " complete failure " and " complete disaster " shows the first has always been at least twice as common, though disaster is gaining popularity.

D is the only one that does not fit

Not me seeing this after i failed in an exam☠

His efforts could have been to ruin the project, so all but D are correct although A is the most natural

The first three work I think. Disaster and failure are similar but failure sounds more professional to me. “Success” would mean he was sabotaging the project (if I hear someone say this, I would assume the speaker thinks the person they’re referring to is incompetent.)

The only one that doesn't completely fit is achievement. I'd never say that. I think it's obvious they intended it to be "a complete disaster", though. We wouldn't normally call a failure "complete", we'd usually describe it as an "utter failure", and you wouldn't normally describe a success in spite of someone's efforts unless they were actively trying to sabotage the effort. But all three of the first three answers actually fit pretty well in conversational English, depending on context.

Could be any of the first three

A is the answer for casual conversation. B for more formal. Disaster is usually hyperbolic so you probably wouldn't use it in an official report.  If you're using c it's either meant to be humorous or it's referring to someone who was purposely trying to sabotage the project.  If you're being humorous the joke is saying that they're so incompetent that it's as if they were trying to make the project a failure. 

If you saw this on Instagram, I get the sense that it's intentionally ambiguous so they could farm engagement. I would say A in conversation, but B sounds like it would be a correct answer in a question like this.

Who writes these questions? OK, whoever wrote the question wants you to choose A. But B can also be used Moreover if one is using sarcasm C will also work.

Honestly, any of those except the last one sound natural enough to me. You'd never say "that was a complete achievement", but the others fit fine depending on the situation.

A and B are equally correct. C works only as a joke. D is wrong.

Failure works, but I feel like disaster is the *best* fit here.

I think it's D

Depends on the project tbh

Disaster

Every answer besides D is acceptable, though the answer is probably A or B- Which is lame, both are completely normal phrases in english. Complete failure / complete disaster, equally normal.

“Complete disaster” will definitely be more familiar with most native speakers, but given the context of “his efforts” that presumably didn’t succeed, logical the answer is B failure. But this is a language test and not a logic test, so idk. It’s not a good question.

1st and 2nd are both likely to be the correct answer, 3rd could also be an answer, but that would be in a joking manner.

Either disaster or failure works in this sentence.

Failure although disaster is used regularly in everyday spoken English.

#1 & #2 if played straight; #3 if played ironically

Achievement is the only answer that is not possible. Disaster and failure are quite similar, but with the context of project, failure sounds better. Success would make the sentence rather sarcastic, meaning that although he tried to make the project fail, it still succeeded anyway.

they all work except for “achievement,” which doesn’t fit with “complete.”

This question is a complete _________.

If you think about it…. It’s all about perspective lol this is a subjective question

Disaster

I have used all of A B and C tbh

A, B, and C all work correctly.

This is quite possibly one of the worst test examples for learning english I think I've seen in a long while. Pick whichever one you want from A and B. [https://i.imgur.com/f9kZ1yt.png](https://i.imgur.com/f9kZ1yt.png)

This is annoying because multiple could work based on the missing context. Despite his efforts means that his contributions were intending the opposite effect. So if his intention was for the project to succeed, then despite his efforts, it was either a failure or a disaster, both work. However, if the project wasn’t something he wanted to succeed in the first place, then the opposite would be true. Despite his efforts, the project was a complete success. The only word that doesn’t make any sense here is achievement.

B does work, but it's not correct. My ears don't like it as much as A.

I’m thinking either disaster or failure. The other 2 imply good things, which doesn’t match with the word “despite.”

1) Total disaster 2) Complete failure 3) Great success 4) Valuable achievement

Life tells me that success fits just right

I would expect B or A. C is valid, though with a different meaning. D is wrong.

disaster and failure are equally acceptable. success is also fine but less likely to occur (i hope). only the last one seems wrong

I think any of the top three could be correct with context.

It's definitely not D, I would have picked B as well, C and A do work.

i'd say failure

Both A and B are grammatically correct and even make about equal sense. A is slightly more correct because "a complete disaster" is idiomatic whereas "complete failure" isn't, even though it makes just as much sense This is a really dumb thing to put on a test though because the subtle difference in correctness is so small I wouldn't expect even someone with a C2 level of English to know it. I only recognize A as idiomatic because I've heard it used in my circles of friends and across all the media that I consume maybe 3 or 4 times as much as B, but I still occasionally hear B

All are valid.

A, B, and C could all work. A and B are pretty much the same C would make sense if the efforts weren't that good at all, but the project still turned out well.

My answer is B

Any of them work

A, B, and sometimes even C all work. The only one that definitely doesn't fit is D. A, B, and C, all work with the order of common use being B, A, C.

I think B is the most appropriate answer, but A would also work. C is grammatically correct, but it doesn't make any sense, unless it's meant as a joke, or unless there's some other context indicating that "he" was trying to sabotage the project. D doesn't work at all.

A sounds a little more natural given the adjective “complete” but B works too with a slightly different meaning. C is unusual but makes sense in the context of extreme incompetence or sabotage. D sounds wrong

three of these would work, so i don’t know what it’s really asking for

Three of them can work, depending on the context. "Despite his best efforts, the project was a complete disaster." The subject of this sentence worked hard on a project but the project not only failed, it also caused other problems. "Despite his best efforts, the project was a complete failure." The subject of this sentence worked very hard on a project, but the intended results were not met. "Despite his best efforts, the project was a complete success." The subject of this sentence worked very hard to sabotage a project, but the intended results were met anyway.

Only D is 'wrong'. C is sarcastic but most of us can think of examples where it could apply. A and B are both okay

maybe he's a villain and he's trying to ruin the project

Disaster sounds most natural but I don't feel failure is too out of place. As others have already mentioned, total or utter fits better with failure but complete works well enough.

The project did something DESPITE his efforts, so we can surmise that the outcome isn't good. Thus 3. and 4. fall off. Then you have to take context into account. This is office speak, nobody speaks casually about "the project". We thus must employ "failure" instead of "disaster", because the former is more neutral in language and makes you appear more professional.

People always use the adjective “complete” with “disaster”. This has to be the answer.

A

I feel like "complete disaster" is a more common phrase. Besides, I tend to use "failure" with "total" before.

It’s disaster. We’ll assume the efforts were good since it effort is generally commendable unless otherwise noted. The “despite” that begins the sentence causes the missing word to be a negative one. Disaster is the only negative choice.

Complete disaster is a common word pairing, so I would go with A.

The first three options are all correct in different circumstances. Note that a project can be "a complete disaster" but still succeed--it just means it was very rough and many things did not go as planned.

I'd use failure, but they're all good besides "achievement."

Disaster sounds most like what people would say, but failure could also work. Disaster is likely the answer.

Only D sounds awkward to me. If I had to pick one it would be A but that's only because it's probably more common phrasing but B still sounds natural and has the same meaning. C changes the meaning but still sounds natural.

I had a manager where number 3 would totally fit.

either one works tbh but most would use A more.

C is the only correct answer. It hinges on the word despite.

Both are fine. I’m native southeastern US and i immediately went with “failure” here. Both convey the general same idea and both sound very natural to me

“Disaster” and “failure” are both correct here, although the former is a bit more catastrophic in tone. “The project was a complete failure” implies that nothing worked, it was a waste of everyone’s time, and that the effort was pointless. “The project was a complete disaster” has a bit more nuance and catastrophe to it, as though the failure of the project has caused some significant additional problem beyond just failing — maybe it went so poorly that a valued employee left, or maybe it drove the company to the brink of bankruptcy. It’s more dramatic. Finally, although it is categorically *not* the answer you’re looking for here, “success” could work too. The literal meaning would imply that the person working on the project was trying to sabotage it; but you’d be much more likely to see it in a colloquial and ironic sense. Here, saying “despite his efforts, the project was a complete success” in an ironic or sarcastic tone of voice implies that the person doing the project was so incompetent and bad at their job that you (sarcastically) might assume they were trying to do a bad job. The literal meaning would be something along the lines of “despite his incompetence, the project was a complete success”.

As others said, there are many that can work here but because of that I would assume the question is aiming for what colloquially works the best and in that case A, Disaster seems to be the answer. It's more colloquial to use "complete disaster" than "complete failure" as many would instead say "total failure" or if using complete would actually be more like "complete and utter failure." "Success" works but only if you're being cheeky or mean and talking shit about the person, which I doubt the question is asking. Achievement is the only one that doesn't really work.

1, 2, (and 3) are acceptable answers depending on the context of the situation.

Either of the first two is correct.

Failure works better

The cake is a lie

I'd go with "failure", but "disaster" would be completely understood. The second implies a much greater degree of failure. Like, someone's going to get fired/arrested.

This is an interesting one. In 99% of cases, only the first two are correct. The 'despite' indicates that the person tried but the project still ended badly. However, 'success' could work, in the case that the person was actually trying to sabotage the project. 'Achievement' is... technically ok grammatically but just doesn't sound very natural in this sentence. I.e. not wrong but not the best word here.

I would pick A because of the word complete. I feel like total failure sounds better than complete failure.

The first three depending on context could work.

Disaster is more common. Failure also works but is less common.

Definitely 'disaster.'

Technically both A and B are correct, however, “complete disaster” is more appropriate considering the fact that he put effort into it. With effort, it’s not likely that it would be a complete failure, only a partial failure. The work “disaster” is more evocative of the idea of a mess.