"Qu'est-ce que cela ?" doesn't cela mean "that" and not "this"?

Mostafa S.A1Kwiziq community member

"Qu'est-ce que cela ?" doesn't cela mean "that" and not "this"?

I got marked wrong on skipping "Qu'est-ce que cela ?" as an option for "what is this"?

Isn't "cela" strictly for "that"?

Merci beaucoup:)

This question relates to:French lesson "Qu'est-ce que c'est... and Qu'est-ce que c'est que ça/cela ? = What is... / What's that? in French"

Asked 2 days ago

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CélineKwiziq Native French TeacherCorrect answer

Bonjour Mostafa,

If you missed an answer, the correction board should show you the missing ticked answer by ticking it once in green (instead of 2 green ticks if correctly chosen). If this issue persists, do get back in touch via our Helpdesk (contact us) or by clicking the grey "Report issue" button on your Correction board.

As for "cela" meaning only "that", it can mean both "this" and "that". It all depends on the context:

cela

I hope this is helpful.

Bonne journée !

Like02 hours ago

Mostafa S. asked: