SYLLABUS/TOPIC: Past Tense
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
After every 20 questions, the answers are provided.
1. She never ___ to eat soup.
A) didn’t like
B) like
C) had liked
D) would not like
E) liked
2. “I’ll drink tea from this tin mug.”
“Where ___ you ___ it?”
A) did/find
B) do/find
C) did/found
D) were/found
E) are/found
3. It was dark and cold. At one moment he thought that he ___ his
way.
A) lost
B) will lose
C) had lost
D) was lost
E) loses
4. I didn’t know anyone in the city where I ___ to get.
A) did try
B) was trying
C) would try
D) have tried
E) shall try
5. -Why ___ you go to the plant?
-I ___ no time.
A) do/had
B) will/have
C) did/hadn’t
D) didn’t/hadn’t
E) didn’t/had
6. A policeman ___ me crossing the street yesterday.
A) seen
B) saw
C) has seen
D) will see
E) had seen
7. Arthur ___ all his exams by 5 o’clock yesterday.
A) passed
B) passes
C) has passed
D) has been passed
E) had passed
8. He evidently ___ his shoes for a very long time. They were
worn-out.
A) were wearing
B) are wearing
C) had been wearing
D) was wearing
E) had been worn
9. So, the invisible man ___ into the shop and ___ down.
A) comes/walked
B) didn’t come/walk
C) came/walked
D) will come/walked
E) comes/would walk
10. -We were at the theatre 2 days ago. The performance was
excellent.
-Who ___ the leading part?
A) did play
B) play
C) played
D) would play
E) has played
11. One day the boys found a man in the forest. He ___
A) will die
B) had been dying
C) had died
D) was dying
E) die
12. His father ___ a doctor and he ___ to make his son a doctor, too.
A) was/wants
B) were/wanted
C) will be/would want
D) was/wanted
E) were/wanted
13. During his school years Cronin ___ great interest in literature.
A) take
B) took
C) has taken
D) had taken
E) would take
14. He ___ the box yesterday, because he had to do it.
A) would open
B) had opening
C) have opened
D) opens
E) opened
15. While the gentlemen ___ the recent events, the ladies ___ about
the weather.
A) discuss/talk
B) are discussing/was talking
C) being discussed/being talked
D) were discussing/were talking
E) have discussed/have talked
16. She ___ you a letter three weeks ago.
A) had sent
B) has sent
C) sent
D) send
E) was sending
17. When he ___ home I ___ him the book.
A) came /shall show
B) comes/showed
C) has come/has shown
D) came/showed
E) was coming/shall show
18. They ___ breakfast at 7 and ___ home at eight.
A) have/left
B) had/left
C) had/leave
D) have/leaves
E) had/had left
19. Long ago people ___ little about those minerals.
A) had known
B) knowed
C) will know
D) knew
E) have known
20. The dentist ___ two of his teeth. One of them ___ quite good.
A) pulls out/are
B) pull out/was
C) pulled out/was
D) pull out/was
E) pulled out/were
ANSWERS :
1-E
2-A
3-C
4-B
5-E
6-B
7-E
8-C
9-C
10-C
11-D
12-D
13-B
14-E
15-D
16-C
17-D
18-B
19-D
20-C
21. I couldn’t imagine what ___ to her.
A) had happened
B) has been happened
C) will happen
D) has been happening
E) happens
22. He felt that he ___ it wrong.
A) has made
B) made
C) will make
D) was made
E) had made
23. I ___ my homework when my mother came.
A) already did
B) have already done
C) had already done
D) has already done
E) already do
24. Turning I found my father sitting beside me on the sofa. I said
“How ___ you ___ here?”
A) do/get
B) did/get
C) does/get
D) was/getting
E) has/been getting
25. Last summer we ___ a trip to Houston.
A) made
B) has made
C) are making
D) shall make
E) will be making
26. He ___ barely ___ of him until that evening.
A) had/heard
B) has/heard
C) was/heard
D) did/hear
E) didn’t/hear
27. She ___ in Tashkent five years ago.
A) had lived
B) lived
C) has lived
D) live
E) have lived
28. We ___ English, so I know it a little.
A) were learning
B) learned
C) learns
D) should learn
E) were learning
29. Yesterday at this time it ___ .
A) had snowed
B) snows
C) snowed
D) was snowing
E) had been snowing
30. We ___ he ___ ill.
A) did not know/was
B) knew/am ill
C) knew/will be
D) had known/is
E) were known/be
31. The plane ___ at 4 and it ___ us 20 minutes to get there.
A) was landing/was taking
B) was landing/took
C) landed/took
D) lands/was taken
E) has landed/is taking
32. We ___ the station by 5 o’clock yesterday.
A) shall reach
B) were reaching
C) had reached
D) reached
E) would reach
33. The Browns ___ out of town last Sunday and ___ a good time there.
A) were going/had
B) went/are having
C) went/had
D) are going/were having
E) goes/has
34. Before answering the telephone he ___ down the table.
A) laid
B) was lying
C) had laid
D) lay
E) has laid
35. Who ___ at the meeting yesterday?
A) speak
B) speaks
C) spoke
D) had spoken
E) will speak
36. He met me with the bird in his hand. It ___ curiously at me.
A) looks
B) was looking
C) has been looking
D) would look
E) should look
37. Nick ___ yesterday.
A) will not come
B) hadn’t come
C) didn’t come
D) hasn’t come
E) came not
38. I knew that he ___ the same paper each morning.
A) was bought
B) buys
C) is buying
D) bought
E) had bought
39. He asked the children who ___ the book.
A) tore
B) tear
C) tears
D) had torn
E) will tear
40. Who ___ on a hike yesterday?
A) did go
B) will go
C) has gone
D) went
E) had went
ANSWERS :
21-A
22-E
23-C
24-B
25-A
26-A
27-B
28-B
29-D
30-A
31-C
32-C
33-C
34-A
35-C
36-B
37-C
38-D
39-D
40-D
41. I ___ to do it but I ___ no time. I was very busy.
A) wanted/has
B) want/had have
C) wanted/had
D) would want/have
E) have wanted/shall have
42. - What a luck. I haven’t seen you for ages.
- When ___ we ___ last time?
A) did / meet
B) have / met
C) had / met
D) did / met
E) will / meet
43. In the summer of 1868, Melville Bell ___ on a lecture tour in the
USA and Canada.
A) goes
B) had gone
C) went
D) have gone
E) has gone
44. He ___ his work before you came.
A) finished
B) finishes
C) has finished
D) had finished
E) finish
45. Why ___ he go to Great Britain last month?
A) did
B) was
C) will
D) had
E) has
46. Did you ___ or ___ the potatoes?
A) mince/peeled
B) minced/peeled
C) minced/peeling
D) peels/minced
E) mince/peel
47. When she ___ they ___ and he left the house.
A) had come/quarreled
B) came/quarreled
C) has come/quarreled
D) comes/would quarrel
E) came/had quarreled
48. - Who had left the room by the time I came yesterday?
A) Tom did
B) Tom does
C) Tom had
D) Tom has
E) Tom was
49. Neither your parents nor I ___ very glad of the fact that you failed
your Math exam.
A) has been
B) have been
C) were
D) was
E) are
50. What ___ you ___ at 5 p.m. yesterday?
A) did/do
B) have/been doing
C) would/do
D) were/doing
E) will/do
51. Who ___ to see me last week?
A) comes
B) will come
C) came
D) has come
E) have come
52. They didn’t believe him and ___ to laugh.
A) begin
B) begins
C) began
D) had begun
E) have begun
53. Children didn’t ___ to school because it ___ Sunday.
A) went/was
B) go/were
C) have gone/was
D) gone/was
E) go/was
54. The train ___ at 8.30 p.m. today, but as a rule it ___ at 8.00 p.m.
sharp.
A) has left / starts
B) left / started
C) left / has started
D) has left / has started
E) have left / starts
55. The moon ___ and it ___ surprisingly light at night yesterday.
A) is rising / is
B) rose / was
C) had risen / was
D) was rising / were
E) rose / had been
56. Who ___ him yesterday?
A) has seen
B) did see
C) saw
D) have seen
E) sees
57. He ___ nobody about his secret that day.
A) don’t tell
B) tell
C) didn’t tell
D) told
E) doesn’t tell
ANSWERS :
41-C
42-A
43-C
44-D
45-A
46-E
47-B
48-C
49-D
50-D
51-C
52-C
53-E
54-B
55-B
56-C
57-D
