Complete the 12 sentences below. Choose the best answer for each one.
1By the time the mediator finally arrived, the delegates ............... in the antechamber since early afternoon.
Wrong!
The time cue shows duration up to a later past moment, so the correct answer is "had been waiting".
2The ceiling collapsed because rainwater ............... through the neglected skylight since Friday night.
Wrong!
The cause continued before a past result, so the correct answer is "had been leaking".
3When the funding was finally approved, the research team ............... to secure it since the previous decade.
Wrong!
The effort continued up to a later past event, so the correct answer is "had been trying".
4The quartet sounded exhausted because they ............... the same passage since dawn.
Wrong!
The duration led up to a past result, so the correct answer is "had been rehearsing".
5When the lifeboat located them at dusk, the sailors ............... without power since the previous morning.
Wrong!
The drifting continued before the past rescue, so the correct answer is "had been drifting".
6The athlete failed the test because he ............... a banned stimulant since the start of the season.
Wrong!
The repeated action continued before a past result, so the correct answer is "had been taking".
7By the time the police reached the warehouse, the lorry ............... with the entire consignment.
Wrong!
The departure happened before another past event, so the correct answer is "had left".
8She could not enter the archive because she ............... the access card earlier that morning.
Wrong!
The loss happened before the later past problem, so the correct answer is "had misplaced".
9The editor rejected the chapter because the author ............... the same paragraph from an earlier article.
Wrong!
The copying happened before the past rejection, so the correct answer is "had copied".
10Before the newly found letters changed the chronology, the poem ............... a late work by most scholars.
Wrong!
The view existed before a later past change, so the correct answer is "had been considered".
11The chair ............... the result when the fire alarm drowned out the microphone.
Wrong!
The alarm interrupted an imminent past action, so the correct answer is "was about to announce".
12The witness ............... the following morning, but the case was settled overnight.
Wrong!
The sentence describes a planned future action from a past viewpoint, so the correct answer is "was going to testify in court".
Done.
Score: 0/12
Answers
- By the time the mediator finally arrived, the delegates had been waiting in the antechamber since early afternoon.
- The ceiling collapsed because rainwater had been leaking through the neglected skylight since Friday night.
- When the funding was finally approved, the research team had been trying to secure it since the previous decade.
- The quartet sounded exhausted because they had been rehearsing the same passage since dawn.
- When the lifeboat located them at dusk, the sailors had been drifting without power since the previous morning.
- The athlete failed the test because he had been taking a banned stimulant since the start of the season.
- By the time the police reached the warehouse, the lorry had left with the entire consignment.
- She could not enter the archive because she had misplaced the access card earlier that morning.
- The editor rejected the chapter because the author had copied the same paragraph from an earlier article.
- Before the newly found letters changed the chronology, the poem had been considered a late work by most scholars.
- The chair was about to announce the result when the fire alarm drowned out the microphone.
- The witness was going to testify in court the following morning, but the case was settled overnight.
