Past Continuous Tense - Test (MCQ) - TOEIC MCQ

This sentence "I was having a bath when the phone rang last night" is more appropriate.

Both sentences A and B are grammatically correct, but sentence B is more commonly used and makes more sense in this context. Here's why:

1. Use of the verb "drive":
- In sentence A, the verb "did" is used with the base form of the verb "drive" ("did he drive"). This construction is typically used for simple past tense questions.
- In sentence B, the verb "was" is used with the present participle form of the verb "drive" ("was he driving"). This construction is typically used for questions about an ongoing action in the past.
2. Context of the accident:
- Since the accident is mentioned in the sentence, it implies that the driving action was happening at the time of the accident.
- Sentence B ("How fast was he driving when the accident happened?") accurately reflects this context and asks about the speed at which the person was driving when the accident occurred.
3. Common usage:
- Sentence B ("How fast was he driving when the accident happened?") is the more commonly used phrase in everyday language.
- It follows the standard pattern of asking about the speed of someone's driving at a specific moment in the past.
Therefore, sentence B is the better choice as it aligns with the context of the accident and is more commonly used in English language usage.

The students stopped talking when the teacher walked into the room.

Introduction:

In this question, we are asked to determine which sentence makes more sense between Sentence A and Sentence B. We need to provide a detailed solution explaining our choice.

Explanation:

To determine which sentence makes more sense, let's analyze both sentences:

Sentence A: We had a picnic when it began to rain.

• The past tense "had" implies that the picnic is already over.


• The use of "began to rain" suggests that the rain started at some point in the past.


• This sentence implies that the picnic happened before the rain started.

Sentence B: We were having a picnic when it began to rain.

• The past continuous tense "were having" suggests an ongoing action in the past.


• The use of "began to rain" implies that the rain started at some point in the past.


• This sentence implies that the picnic was interrupted by the rain.

Conclusion:

In the context of a picnic being interrupted by rain, Sentence B makes more sense because it conveys the ongoing action of having a picnic when the rain started. Sentence A suggests that the picnic happened before the rain started, which doesn't align with the idea of the rain interrupting the picnic. Therefore, Sentence B is the correct choice.

We ran to the car to keep dry when it started to rain.

The sentence that makes more sense is B: "When you called last night I was doing my homework."
Explanation:
Context:
The context of the sentence is a past event when someone received a phone call last night.
Verb tense:
In this context, both the past simple tense ("did") and the past continuous tense ("was doing") can be used, but the past continuous tense provides a clearer and more accurate description of the action happening at that time.
Meaning:
Sentence A implies that the person completed their homework at the exact moment the phone call was received, which seems unlikely. Sentence B, on the other hand, implies that the person was in the middle of doing their homework when the call came in.
Use of past continuous tense:
The past continuous tense is used to describe an ongoing action or event that was happening at a specific point in the past. In this case, it indicates that the person was already engaged in doing their homework when the phone call interrupted them.
Clarity and coherence:
Sentence B provides a clearer and more coherent description of the sequence of events. It establishes a logical connection between the phone call and the ongoing action of doing homework.
Conclusion:
Overall, sentence B ("When you called last night I was doing my homework") is more appropriate and makes more sense in the given context because it accurately describes the ongoing action of doing homework at the time of the phone call.

Explanation:

Option B: "Were you listening to me? - Yes. You asked me if I had done my homework."

• Option B: Using the past continuous tense "Were you listening" suggests that the person asking the question wants to know if the listener was paying attention at a specific moment in the past.


• The response "Yes. You asked me if I had done my homework" indicates that the listener heard the question and can recall the specific content of the question.


• This sentence structure is appropriate for a situation where someone is asking if the listener was actively paying attention during a particular conversation or event.

Option A: "Did you listen to me? - Yes. You asked me if I had done my homework."

• Option A: Using the simple past tense "Did you listen" suggests that the person asking the question wants to know if the listener paid attention in general.


• The response "Yes. You asked me if I had done my homework" indicates that the listener heard the question and can recall the specific content of the question.


• This sentence structure is appropriate for a situation where someone is asking if the listener paid attention overall, without specifying a particular moment or event.

Therefore, Option B: "Were you listening to me? - Yes. You asked me if I had done my homework" makes more sense in this context.

Simple Past sentence is the more relevant.
What did you do when the dog ran into the room? - I jumped out of the window.

Explanation:
Context: The sentence is asking which of the two options makes more sense in the given context.
Option A:

While he held the old vase, he dropped it.

- In this option, the verb "held" is used in the past tense simple form.
Option B:

While he was holding the old vase, he dropped it.

- In this option, the verb "was holding" is used in the past continuous tense form.
Explanation:
- Both options convey the same basic idea that the person dropped the vase while they were holding it. However, option B is more appropriate and makes more sense in this context.
- The past continuous tense (option B) is used to describe an ongoing action or situation in the past. It suggests that the person was actively holding the vase when it was dropped.
- The simple past tense (option A), on the other hand, is used to describe completed actions in the past, without emphasizing the ongoing nature of the action.
- Since the sentence is specifically mentioning the act of holding the vase when it was dropped, option B is more suitable and provides a clearer picture of the sequence of events.

It was raining heavily while I ran for the bus is more suitable sentence.