Question 1: While they ____ to Wyoming, their car ran out of gas.
- Answer: D. were driving
- The action of driving was ongoing when the car ran out of gas, so we use the past continuous tense.
Question 2: Alice looked much slimmer because she ____ for a few months.
- Answer: A. had been dieting
- The dieting happened before she looked slimmer, so we use the past perfect continuous tense to indicate a completed action in the past that had an effect on another past action.
Question 3: When she’s done the ironing, she ____ the length of the dress for me.
- Answer: C. will alter
- The altering will happen after she finishes ironing, so we use the future simple tense.
Question 4: You are too slow. I’m sure that by the time you phone them, they ____
- Answer: B. will have sold
- We're talking about a completed action in the future, so we use the future perfect tense.
Question 5: As soon as they ____ my last book, I ____ you a copy with my autograph.
- Answer: D. print – will send
- The action of sending will happen after the book is printed, so we use the present simple for the first action and the future simple for the second.
Question 6: Because the children ____ forward to seeing Harry Potter for so long, I took them even though it was really inconvenient for me.
- Answer: A. had been looking
- The children had been looking forward for a period of time before the action of taking them happened, so we use the past perfect continuous tense.
Question 7: When we ____ at the airport we ____ our passports at the office.
- Answer: B. arrived – noticed – left
- All actions happened in the past, so we use the past simple tense for all of them.
Question 8: Generally he ____ to work by car, but today he ____ by bus.
- Answer: C. goes – is going
- There's a general habit (present simple) and a specific action today (present continuous).
Question 9: He ____ for over three hours when he finished the report.
- Answer: D. had been typing
- The typing had been happening for a period of time before he finished, so we use the past perfect continuous tense.
Question 10: Three days ago her boyfriend ____ her and she ____ continually ever since.
- Answer: A. left – is crying
- The boyfriend left in the past (past simple), and she has been crying continuously since then (present perfect continuous).
Question 11: This is the first customer we ____ something today.
- Answer: A. have sold
- We're talking about an experience up to the present moment, so we use the present perfect tense.
Question 12: Andrew ____ the plants in the garden right now but I ____ sure that it will rain this afternoon.
- Answer: A. is watering – am
- Andrew is currently watering (present continuous), and the speaker is certain about the future rain (present simple for future certainty).