Tenses MCQ Questions and Answers | English Grammar MCQ

The correct sequence is "finished / had arrived".

Explanation:

This sentence involves two actions in the past, where one action was completed before the other.

Past Perfect Tense ("had arrived") is used to describe the action that happened first — participants arriving.

Simple Past Tense ("finished") is used for the action that happened later — we finished preparations.

The sentence means that by the time we completed our preparations, most participants had already arrived.

Incorrect Options:

Option A: have finished / had arrived – "Have finished" is present perfect, which doesn’t fit with the past perfect in the second clause.

Option B: will have finished / arrive – This uses future perfect and present, which doesn't match the past context.

Option C: finished / have arrived – Mixing simple past with present perfect is not appropriate for this timeline.

Option E: finish / would arrive – This suggests a hypothetical or future-in-the-past situation, which is not the intended meaning.

Therefore, Option D is grammatically and logically correct.

In the given conversation, the most appropriate option to complete B's response is "I'd have a sandwich, please."

"I'd have" is a contraction of "I would have," which is a polite way to express a choice or preference. B is expressing what they would like to eat, and the use of "I'd have" shows a polite request for a sandwich.

The other options do not use the correct verb form for the given conversation. Option B, "I had," is in the simple past tense, which does not convey a polite request for the present situation. Option C, "I'll have," is in the future tense, which is not suitable for expressing the immediate preference. Option D, "I'm having," is in the present continuous tense, which does not fit the context of making a polite request for something.

Therefore, the correct answer is "A. I'd have."

In the given sentence "One feels that there cannot be any noticeable improvement in the human rights problem in Africa until all the African countries will overcome their economic difficulties," the correct tense forms to fill in the blanks are "cannot be" and "will overcome."

"there cannot be any noticeable improvement" - The phrase "cannot be" is in the present tense and indicates that a noticeable improvement in the human rights problem in Africa is not possible at the moment.

"until all the African countries will overcome their economic difficulties" - The phrase "will overcome" is in the future tense, expressing a future action that is expected to happen. It shows that the African countries need to resolve their economic difficulties in the future for any improvement in the human rights problem to occur.

Both the present tense "cannot be" and the future tense "will overcome" are appropriate here to convey the cause-and-effect relationship between the economic difficulties and the improvement in human rights.

The other options do not use the correct tense forms for the given sentence. Option B, "hasn't been/had overcome," uses the present perfect and past perfect tenses, which do not fit the context of the sentence. Option C, "won't be/overcome," combines the future tense with the present tense, which is not grammatically correct. Option D, "wouldn't be/would be overcome," uses the past conditional and past tense, which is not appropriate for describing a future event. Option E, "wasn't/have overcome," uses the past tense and present perfect tense, which are not suitable in this context.

Therefore, the correct answer is "A. cannot be/will overcome.

In the given sentence "People go to the tomb of the Unknown Soldier to stand in silence for a minute to honor the memory of those who were killed in wars," the most appropriate word to fill in the blank is "were killed."

The verb "were killed" is in the past tense and is used to refer to the action of being killed in the past. The sentence is talking about honoring the memory of individuals who lost their lives in wars, which is an event that happened in the past.

Option A, "is killed," is in the present tense and does not match the context of talking about past events. Option B, "will be killed," is in the future tense, which is not appropriate for discussing events that have already occurred. Option C, "was killed," is in the singular past tense and does not agree with the plural noun "those" in the sentence. Option D, "are killed," is in the present tense and is not suitable for referring to past events.

Therefore, the correct answer is "E. were killed."

In the given sentence "No zoologist is able to keep a gorilla under close observation in the dark jungles in which he had been living," the most appropriate words to fill in the blanks are "is" and "had been living."

"No zoologist is able to keep a gorilla under close observation" - The verb "is" is in the present tense, and it indicates a general truth or fact about the current situation.

"in the dark jungles in which he had been living" - The phrase "had been living" is in the past perfect continuous tense and indicates a past action that was ongoing before another past action. In this context, it refers to the gorilla living in the dark jungles before the observation took place.

The other options do not use the correct verb forms for the given sentence. Option A, "was/lived," uses the simple past tense for both verbs, which does not convey the correct sequence of events. Option B, "will/will live," uses the future tense for both verbs, which is not suitable for describing past events. Option C, "had been/has lived," uses the past perfect continuous tense and the present perfect tense, but they do not match the context of the sentence. Option E, "has been/lives," uses the present perfect continuous tense and the simple present tense, which also do not fit the context.

Therefore, the correct answer is "D. is/had been living.

In the given sentence "We must do something soon before it is too late," the most suitable option to fill in the blank is "is."

The verb "is" is in the present tense and is used to express a general truth or a situation that exists in the present or near future. In this context, "is" indicates that the time when something needs to be done is approaching and it is still not too late to take action.

The other options do not use the correct verb form for the given sentence. Option A, "was," is in the past tense, which is not appropriate for expressing the urgency of the situation. Option B, "will be," is in the future tense, which does not fit the context of taking action before it is too late. Option D, "has been," uses the present perfect tense, which is not suitable for describing a future event or the urgency of the situation.

Therefore, the correct answer is "C. is."

In the given sentence "What I am proposing is that we begin to think seriously about a thorough reform in the legal system," the most suitable options to fill in the blanks are "am proposing" and "begin."

"What I am proposing" - The phrase "am proposing" is in the present continuous tense, indicating an action that is happening at the present moment. The speaker is expressing their current proposal or suggestion.

"that we begin to think seriously about a thorough reform in the legal system" - The verb "begin" is in the base form and refers to a future action that is expected to start soon. It suggests that the speaker wants the action of thinking seriously about reform to commence in the near future.

The other options do not use the correct verb forms for the given sentence. Option A, "have proposed/should have begun," uses the present perfect tense and the past perfect tense, which do not match the context of expressing a current proposal and a future action. Option B, "had proposed/were beginning," uses the past perfect tense and the past continuous tense, which are not appropriate for discussing present and future actions. Option D, "was proposing/have begun," uses the past continuous tense and the present perfect tense, which do not convey the correct sequence of events. Option E, "proposed/had begun," uses the simple past tense and the past perfect tense, which do not fit the context of current proposal and future action.

Therefore, the correct answer is "C. am proposing/begin."

In the given sentence "You should take exercise daily," the most suitable word to fill in the blank is "take."

The verb "take" is in the base form, and when used with "should," it forms a modal verb construction, indicating advice or recommendation. In this context, the sentence is suggesting that the person should make it a habit to exercise daily.

The other options do not use the correct verb forms for the given sentence. Option A, "took," is in the simple past tense, which does not match the context of giving advice or making a general recommendation. Option B, "have taken," is in the present perfect tense, which is not appropriate for expressing a general or habitual action. Option D, "taking," is in the present participle form, which is also not suitable for conveying a piece of advice or recommendation.

Therefore, the correct answer is "C. take.

In the given sentence "They moved to London in 1995," the most appropriate word to fill in the blank is "moved."

The verb "moved" is in the simple past tense, and it is used to describe a completed action that took place in the past. The sentence is referring to an event that occurred in 1995 when the subject "They" relocated to London.

The other options do not use the correct verb form for the given sentence. Option A, "move," is in the base form and does not indicate a specific past action. Option C, "is moving," is in the present continuous tense, which does not match the past timeframe mentioned in the sentence. Option D, "has moved," is in the present perfect tense, which also does not fit the context of referring to a specific past event.

Therefore, the correct answer is "B. moved."

In the given sentence "He has been watering the plants for two hours," the most appropriate word to fill in the blank is "watering."

The verb "watering" is in the present participle form, and it is used with the helping verb "has been" to form the present perfect continuous tense. This tense is used to indicate an action that started in the past, is still ongoing, and may continue into the present. In this context, it conveys that he started watering the plants in the past, and he is still doing it at the time of speaking.

The other options do not use the correct verb form for the given sentence. Option B, "watered," is in the simple past tense, which does not convey the ongoing nature of the action. Option C, "waters," is in the simple present tense and does not match the past timeframe mentioned in the sentence. Option D, "none," is not a verb and does not fit the context of the sentence.

Therefore, the correct answer is "A. watering.