1. The sun ______ brightly yesterday.
- D. is shining
- B. shone
- C. has shined
- A. shines
Answer: The word 'yesterday' indicates that the action happened in the past. Therefore, the simple past tense 'shone' (V2 form of shine) is the correct choice.
2. She ______ just ______ her homework.
- D. was, completed
- C. is, completing
- A. have, completed
- B. has, completed
Answer: The word 'just' indicates a recently completed action, which requires the present perfect tense. Since the subject 'She' is singular, 'has completed' is the correct form.
3. Either my shoes or your coat ______ always on the floor.
- A. are
- B. is
- C. were
- D. have been
Answer: When two subjects are joined by 'either...or', the verb agrees with the subject nearer to it. In this case, 'coat' is singular, so the verb must be singular ('is').
4. The quality of the apples ______ not good.
- B. was
- D. have been
- A. were
- C. are
Answer: The subject of the sentence is 'quality', which is a singular noun. The verb must agree with the subject, not with the object of the preposition ('apples'). Hence, the singular verb 'was' is correct.
5. He ______ for five hours.
- D. sleeps
- B. is sleeping
- C. had slept
- A. has been sleeping
Answer: The phrase 'for five hours' indicates a duration of time for an action that started in the past and is still continuing. This requires the present perfect continuous tense.
6. You ______ to see a doctor immediately.
- B. ought
- D. may
- A. must
- C. can
Answer: The presence of 'to' after the blank indicates that the correct modal verb is 'ought', as it is typically followed by 'to' ('ought to') to give advice or show moral obligation.
7. Let him ______ what he wants to.
- C. does
- D. doing
- B. to do
- A. do
Answer: The verb 'let' is followed by a bare infinitive (the base form of the verb without 'to'). Therefore, 'do' is the correct choice.
8. The patient ______ before the doctor arrived.
- A. died
- D. dies
- B. has died
- C. had died
Answer: When two actions happened in the past, the action that occurred earlier is expressed in the past perfect tense ('had' + V3). The patient's death happened before the doctor's arrival.
9. ______ is a good exercise.
- C. Walking
- B. Walked
- A. To walking
- D. Walk
Answer: When a verb is used as the subject of a sentence, it takes the gerund form (verb + -ing). 'Walking' here acts as a noun.
10. He denied ______ the window.
- C. to have broken
- B. breaking
- D. break
- A. to break
Answer: The verb 'deny' is followed by a gerund (verb + -ing), not an infinitive. Therefore, 'breaking' is the correct form.
11. The price of petrol has been ______ by the government.
- B. rised
- D. risen
- C. raised
- A. rose
Answer: 'Raise' is a transitive verb meaning 'to lift up' or 'to increase', and it requires an object. 'Rise' is intransitive. Since the government (agent) is increasing the price (object), 'raised' is correct.
12. Please ______ down for a moment.
- C. laid
- D. lain
- A. lay
- B. lie
Answer: 'Lie' is an intransitive verb meaning 'to rest in a flat position'. 'Lay' is a transitive verb meaning 'to put something down'. Since there is no object, the intransitive verb 'lie' is correct.
13. One of my friends ______ gone to France.
- A. have
- C. are
- B. has
- D. is
Answer: The phrase 'one of' is followed by a plural noun ('friends'), but the verb must agree with 'one', which is singular. Hence, 'has' is the correct verb.
14. If I ______ a bird, I would fly in the sky.
- C. were
- A. was
- D. had been
- B. am
Answer: This sentence expresses a hypothetical or imaginary situation (subjunctive mood). In such cases, 'were' is used with all subjects, including singular ones like 'I'.
15. The captain, along with his team members, ______ praised for his performance.
- C. was
- A. were
- D. are
- B. have been
Answer: When subjects are joined by phrases like 'along with', 'as well as', or 'in addition to', the verb agrees with the first subject. Here, the first subject 'The captain' is singular, so the verb is 'was'.
16. He is used to ______ hard.
- B. working
- A. work
- C. have worked
- D. being worked
Answer: The phrase 'be used to' is followed by a gerund (verb + -ing) to mean 'be accustomed to'. Therefore, 'working' is correct.
17. The car suddenly ______ on the highway.
- C. broke into
- B. broke up
- D. broke out
- A. broke down
Answer: The phrasal verb 'break down' means to stop functioning, especially in reference to a machine or vehicle.
18. The number of students ______ increasing.
- B. were
- C. is
- A. are
- D. have
Answer: The phrase 'The number of' is followed by a plural noun, but it is treated as a singular subject and takes a singular verb. Contrast this with 'A number of', which takes a plural verb.
19. I would rather you ______ him the truth.
- A. tell
- C. to tell
- B. told
- D. have told
Answer: The structure 'would rather + subject' is followed by the simple past tense to express a preference about someone else's actions in the present or future.
20. Bread and butter ______ his only food.
- D. have
- A. is
- B. are
- C. were
Answer: When two nouns are joined by 'and' but refer to a single idea or form a single unit (like a meal), they take a singular verb.
21. If you ______ hard, you will succeed.
- D. have worked
- C. worked
- A. will work
- B. work
Answer: This is a Type 1 conditional sentence. The 'if' clause uses the simple present tense, and the main clause uses the simple future tense.
22. She helped me ______ the heavy box.
- B. to be carried
- A. carrying
- D. carried
- C. to carry
Answer: The verb 'help' can be followed by either a bare infinitive (carry) or a full infinitive (to carry). Both are correct, but 'to carry' is one of the options provided.
23. It is I who ______ to blame.
Answer: In a relative clause starting with 'who', 'which', or 'that', the verb agrees with the antecedent of the relative pronoun. Here, the antecedent of 'who' is 'I', so the verb must be 'am'.
24. The committee ______ divided in their opinion.
- B. were
- C. is
- A. was
- D. has
Answer: When a collective noun (like 'committee') is considered as a collection of individuals (indicated by 'divided in their opinion'), it takes a plural verb.
25. I suggest that he ______ for the job.
- A. applies
- C. applied
- D. is applying
- B. apply
Answer: After verbs like 'suggest', 'recommend', 'demand', etc., the 'that' clause uses the subjunctive mood, which is the base form of the verb (bare infinitive).
