Verb tense

Tense places an action in time. The test checks that tenses stay consistent with the passage and that the perfect tenses show which action came first.

How to do it

Look at the verbs in the sentences around the underline. A passage told in the past stays in the past unless something marks a change.
Use "had" plus a past participle for an action finished before another past action: "By 1714, the ship had sailed."
Use "has" or "have" for something that began in the past and still holds: "Scholars have argued for centuries."
Check irregular forms: "had swum," not "had swam"; "had begun," not "had began."

Example

Wrong Harrison worked on his clock for years before the Board finally agrees to test it.

Right Harrison worked on his clock for years before the Board finally agreed to test it.

The sentence is in the past ("worked"), and nothing signals a shift, so "agreed."

Traps

A choice in a fancier tense ("would have been agreeing") is almost never right. Pick the simplest tense that fits the timeline.
Statements of general truth may stay in the present even in a past passage: "Galileo showed that the Moon is rough."

Practice it

Every practice question comes with a full explanation, including why each wrong choice is wrong. Free, with no account.

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