Test this English grammar quiz to successfully clear govt exams like banking, SSC, UPSC, and railways. As an officer or a clerk you’re expected to communicate clearly – in both written and verbal ways. Any misunderstanding or miscommunication can be costly so I’m bringing a set of questions on the topics where many students make the most mistakes.
All the questions in the following quiz are related to the past tense. They test your knowledge of the simple past, the present perfect, and the present perfect continuous tenses.
How and when to use these tenses? They are used to talk about actions that happened in the past and how they are connected to the present. Have fun 😊
Take a pen and paper (or notepad) and let’s go:
English Grammar Quiz Ultimate Challenge: Past tense
1.She walk to the market yesterday and bought some vegetables.
A) walk to the market
B) and bought
C) some vegetables
D) She
answer
Correct Answer: A) walk to the market
Explanation: “walk” will be replaced by “walked” because “yesterday” shows past tense.
2.He was very happy because he win the lottery.
A) He
B) was very happy
C) because
D) win the lottery
Answer
Correct Answer: D) win the lottery
Explanation: “win” will be replaced by “won” because it is the past tense of “win”.
3.They have visited the Taj Mahal last week.
A) They
B) have visited
C) the Taj Mahal
D) last week
answer
Correct Answer: B) have visited
Explanation: “have visited” will be replaced by “visited” because “last week” shows past tense and “have” is not used with a specific time.
4.She did not knew the answer to the question.
A) She
B) did not
C) knew
D) the answer to the question
Answer:
C) knew
Explanation: “knew” will be replaced by “know” because “did” is already in the past tense and the main verb should be in the base form.
5.He has written a letter to his friend yesterday.
A) He
B) has written
C) a letter
D) to his friend yesterday
Answer:
Correct Answer: B) has written
Explanation: “has written” will be replaced by “wrote” because “yesterday” shows past tense and “has” is not used with a specific time.
6.She study hard for the exam and got good marks.
A) She
B) study hard
C) for the exam
D) and got good marks
Answer
Correct Answer: B) study hard
Explanation: “study” will be replaced by “studied” because it is the past tense of “study”.
7.They went to the park and play with their friends.
A) They
B) went to the park
C) and
D) play with their friends
Answer
Correct Answer: D) play with their friends
Explanation: “play” will be replaced by “played” because it is the past tense of “play”.
8.He drink a glass of water and then went to sleep.
A) He
B) drink a glass of water
C) and then
D) went to sleep
Answer
Correct Answer: B) drink a glass of water
Explanation: “drink” will be replaced by “drank” because it is the past tense of “drink”.
9.She sang a beautiful song in the concert yesterday.
A) She
B) sang
C) a beautiful song
D) in the concert yesterday
Answer
Correct Answer: No error
Explanation: There is no error in this sentence as it is in the simple past tense.
10.He has gone to the library an hour ago.
A) He
B) has gone
C) to the library
D) an hour ago
Answer
Correct Answer: B) has gone
Explanation: “has gone” will be replaced by “went” because “an hour ago” shows past tense and “has” is not used with a specific time.
11.She was cooking dinner when the phone ring.
A) She
B) was cooking dinner
C) when
D) the phone ring
Answer
Correct Answer: D) the phone ring
Explanation: “ring” will be replaced by “rang” because it is the past tense of “ring”.
12.He told me that he is going to the movies.
A) He
B) told me
C) that
D) he is going to the movies
Answer
Correct Answer: D) he is going to the movies
Explanation: “is going” will be replaced by “was going” because the sentence is in the past tense and the subordinate clause should also be in the past tense.
13.She has broken her arm while she was playing tennis.
A) She
B) has broken
C) her arm
D) while she was playing tennis
Answer
Correct Answer: B) has broken
Explanation: “has broken” will be replaced by “broke” because “while she was playing tennis” shows past tense and “has” is not used with a specific time.
14.He gave me a book that he write himself.
A) He
B) gave me
C) a book
D) that he write himself
Answer
Correct Answer: D) that he write himself
Explanation: “write” will be replaced by “wrote” because it is the past tense of “write”.
15.They have seen a movie after they finished their homework.
A) They
B) have seen
C) a movie
D) after they finished their homework
Answer
Correct Answer: B) have seen
Explanation: “have seen” will be replaced by “saw” because “after they finished their homework” shows past tense and “have” is not used with a specific time.
16.She has lost her keys and she can’t find them.
A) She
B) has lost
C) her keys
D) and she can’t find them
Answer
Correct Answer: No error
Explanation: There is no error in this sentence as it is in the present perfect tense, which shows an action that happened in the past but has a connection to the present.
17.He was working on his project since morning.
A) He
B) was working
C) on his project
D) since morning
Answer
Correct Answer: B) was working
Explanation: “was working” will be replaced by “has been working” because “since morning” shows a period of time and the present perfect continuous tense should be used.
18.She has been waiting for you for two hours.
A) She
B) has been waiting
C) for you
D) for two hours
Answer
Correct Answer: No error
Explanation: There is no error in this sentence as it is in the present perfect continuous tense, which shows an action that started in the past and is still continuing in the present.
19.He has been studying hard for the exam since last month.
A) He
B) has been studying hard
C) for the exam
D) since last month
Answer
Correct Answer: No error
Explanation: There is no error in this sentence as it is in the present perfect continuous tense, which shows an action that started in the past and is still continuing in the present.
20.She has been living in this house for ten years.
A) She
B) has been living
C) in this house
D) for ten years
Answer
Correct Answer: No error
Explanation: There is no error in this sentence as it is in the present perfect continuous tense, which shows an action that started in the past and is still continuing in the present.
Now tell me in comments how many were you able to complete successfully?
About past tense
Chances are you already know that the past tense is used to talk about actions or events that happened in the past. It’s over. But there are different types of past tense, such as simple past, past continuous, past perfect, and past perfect continuous.
Here are some tips and tricks to remember them correctly:
Simple past: We use this tense to describe completed actions or facts in the past.
For example, “I visited Delhi last year.”
We Add -ed to regular verbs or use the past tense form of irregular verbs. For example, “She played cricket.” “She sang a song.” or “I wrote this article.”
Past continuous: Use this tense to describe ongoing actions or situations in the past.
For example, “She was studying when I called her.”
Use was/were + verb-ing. For example, “She was cooking dinner.”
Past perfect: Use this tense to describe an action that happened before another action or time in the past.
For example, “He had already left when I arrived.” Use had + past participle. For example, “She had finished her homework.”
Past perfect continuous: Use this tense to describe an action that started and continued for some time in the past.
For example, “He had been working hard for the exam.” Use had been + verb-ing. For example, “She had been living in this house for ten years.”
