What is the correct answer to the question?

[FutureGadgetsLab]

A practise English paper for year 6 question. The question was to work out whether something was certain, possible or impossible. So "I may go to Ella's house" is possible, "I am going out" is definite and so on.

The question was "it may rain cats and dogs, if we have a storm"

What would your answer to this question be? I'm convinced the answer book is wrong.

[KingJoffreyLikesJaffaCakes]

Impossible.

Cats and dogs plummeting from the sky won't happen.

[misskatamari]

It may leads me to go with possible, but obviously it won't actually rain cats and dogs, so impossible?

[sleepyhead]

Possible?

[Mishmashpotatoes]

Impossible? Is it a trick question?

[FutureGadgetsLab]

I don't have the paper to hand Becky but it was a statement saying it may rain cats and dogs, and you had to choose whether it was possible, impossible or certain.

[RobinsAreTerritorialFuckers]

I am not quite sure why, but I think I'd write 'It might rain cats and dogs, if we have a storm'.

I agree it's grammatically possible and logically impossible!

[sleepyhead]

Raining cats and dogs is a standard English idiom surely? An average English speaker would be willfully misunderstanding the writer's intention if they took it literally, so I would say that impossible isn't correct.

[Wordsaremything]

Have they been taught about figurative speech?

[OrangePeels]

Possible I suppose if the cats and dogs get caught up in a tornado and fall from the sky...

Though I think the answer should be impossible.

[Wordsaremything]

Agree sleepy.

[YesILikeItToo]

Possible. If there's a storm, bad weather is certain, but not necessarily heavy rain. Could be wind or snow.

[sleepyhead]

And actually, if there was such a severe storm that the local cat & dog home was sucked up by a tornado then it might rain cats and dogs, so taken literally it's very improbable, but not impossible.

[FutureGadgetsLab]

Intetesting to see its divisive. I told someone the answer was impossible because cats and dogs don't rain from the sky, however the answer is possible apparently...

I have Asperger's and I wondered if it was just me or if others would also interpret it this way. I have no idea why they have to write such confusing questions.

[Scholes34]

OrangePeels - having watched Sharknado, I would say it's quite possible it may rain cats and dogs, under the right circumstances.

[Cocochoco]

If you accept it is a metaphor then this is possible; if you do not, it is impossible.

So a badly worded question, which has two possible correct answers depending on your perspective. Stupid!

[joopy79]

It's possible. It's a well known idiom. No one interprets it literally. I think you're over thinking this you think it's impossible.

[FutureGadgetsLab]

So a badly worded question, which has two possible correct answers depending on your perspective. Stupid!

It's awfully worded isn't it?! At least it isn't just me.

[KingJoffreyLikesJaffaCakes]

So what's snow?

Raining white rabbits??

[Clandestino]

depends on how you take it.
If you take it totally literally, i.e. without language context, it's impossible.
If you take it as a phrase used to describe a very heavy rain, it's possible or certain.

[splendide]

I would go with possible, treating the "cats and dogs" as an accepted idiom for heavy rain. It's arguable either way though.

[splendide]

Actually it could even be certain - as a storm by definition includes heavy rain (maybe?). Tricky.

[splendide]

Actually the whole thing is stupid.

"It may rain". This statement means it is possible it will rain. But the status of the statement is certain - it certainly may rain.

Sorry I'll stop now.

[WhereInTheWorldToNext]

It's not "awfully worded".

Firstly raining cats and digs is a well known idiom.

Secondly the learning objective is key and therefore it's clear what you are being asked to distinguish between.

[KingJoffreyLikesJaffaCakes]

I think the correct answer is, "whut?"