Question about the use of the 24 hour clock

Question

I kwizzed my lesson plan and it had the following question:
Ce magasin est fermé ________ deux heures et demie.This shop is closed from two o'clock to two thirty.(HINT: deux heures = two o'clock)

My answer was, "de deux heures a..." which was marked correct. (Sorry can't do the accents here.)

My question:

Shouldn't this have read, "Ce magasin est fermé de quatorze heures a quatorze heures trente." ?

Or: "Ce magasin est fermé de deux heures a deux heures et demie de l'apres-midi."?

These formats would have distinguished the time as being in the afternoon, not the early morning hours. Is the reason that they were not used because one can assume that a shop would be open during the daytime, not the wee hours of the morning? And, if that is true, is it common not to be specific unless absolutely necessary?

Merci pour votre reponse.

Accepted Answer

Hi Shamrockhill,
Your suggestions are correct but in this particular exercise, you were asked to use  'deux heures' in a hint.
When the context is obvious, that we are talking about a shop closing in the afternoon for a break rather than in the small hours of the morning, 'de l'après-midi' is superfluous and will often be omitted.
Hope this helps!

Answer

Merci Cecile,Yes, that is what I had thought to be the case. It is just that the Kwiziq tests can be very unforgiving and sometimes it's hard to know what is expected. But, after reading your response and reading the lesson again, (which states that "du matin, du soir, de l'apres-midi" are used only as needed), I understand more clearly.I would like to say how much I appreciate your prompt answers to all the questions I, (and other learners), have. Sometimes for me I just have to grapple with a concept for a while, make a few mistakes, and ask lots of questions in order to really understand. All part of the glorious process of learning a language.