'Sort of' vs 'Kind of'

[Ti]

Business Idiom in English, Intermediate level

ESL/EFL Test #134 "Ways of thanking", question 10

Look upon this as a ......... of thank you present for all your endeavours on our behalf.

(a) type
(b) sort
(c) sign
(d) species

Business Idiom in English, Intermediate level

ESL/EFL Test #134 "Ways of thanking", answer 10

Look upon this as a sort of thank you present for all your endeavours on our behalf.

Correct answer: (b) sort

Your answer was: incorrect
Look upon this as a sign of thank you present for all your endeavours on our behalf.
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Excuse me! Can you explain why we use "sort" here?

Ti

[Alan]

Hi,

'Sort of' here has the same idea as 'kind of'. If you used 'sign of', you would change the meaning completely and also it would have to read a sign of a thank you.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story 'the' vs. 'a/an'