CBSE Class 9 English Advanced Tense Very Short Answer Questions Set 01

Very Short Answer Questions

Question 1. Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb in brackets: Have you ever __________ such a beautiful scene? (see)
Answer:
seen
The present perfect (Have you ever ...) needs the past participle of 'see'.
In simple words: Use the third form of see after 'have'.

Teacher's Note:
1. See - saw - seen.
2. 'Ever' often appears with the present perfect.

Question 2. The moon has not yet __________ . (appear)
Answer:
appeared
'has not' is followed by the past participle: 'The moon has not yet appeared'.
In simple words: After 'has not', use the third form.

Teacher's Note:
1. Regular verbs add -ed for the past participle.
2. 'Yet' is another signal word for the present perfect.

Question 3. I __________ English for ten years. (teach)
Answer:
have been teaching
The action began ten years ago and is still going on, with 'for' showing the length of time, so the present perfect continuous is used.
In simple words: 'For ten years' + still going on = have been teaching.

Teacher's Note:
1. 'For' goes with a period; 'since' goes with a point in time.
2. The sentence tells us the person still teaches.

Question 4. What __________ your father feel about our school? (do)
Answer:
does
The question is in the simple present with a third person singular subject, so the helping verb is 'does', followed by the base form 'feel'.
In simple words: Questions in the simple present use do/does.

Teacher's Note:
1. The printed sentence named a coaching institute; I replaced it with 'our school'.
2. After 'does', never add -s to the main verb.

Question 5. All work and no play __________ Jack a dull boy. (make)
Answer:
makes
This is a proverb and a general truth, so the simple present is used. The subject is singular, so the verb takes -s.
In simple words: A general truth takes the simple present.

Teacher's Note:
1. Proverbs are always in the simple present.
2. Subject 'work and play' is treated as one idea.

Question 6. He scratched his head and __________ for a moment. (think)
Answer:
thought
The first verb 'scratched' is in the simple past, so the second must also be in the simple past: 'thought'.
In simple words: Two linked past actions take the same tense.

Teacher's Note:
1. Think - thought - thought.
2. Look at the tense of the first verb to match the second.

Question 7. When I reached the temple, a group of people __________ devotional songs. (recite)
Answer:
was reciting
The action was in progress at a point in the past ('when I reached'), so the past continuous is used. 'A group' is singular, so 'was'.
In simple words: An action in progress in the past: was reciting.

Teacher's Note:
1. 'A group of people' takes a singular verb here.
2. The past continuous shows what was going on when something else happened.

Question 8. What __________ you __________ here from the time I went to college? (do)
Answer:
did ... do
Following the printed key, the simple past question 'What did you do here from the time I went to college?' is formed with 'did' + base form 'do'.
In simple words: 'Did' + base form makes the past question.

Teacher's Note:
1. Natural English would also say 'What have you been doing here since I went to college?'; the key uses the simple past.
2. Never put the main verb in the past after 'did'.

Question 9. By this time tomorrow, I __________ home. (reach)
Answer:
shall have reached
'By this time tomorrow' means the action will be complete by then, so the future perfect is used: shall/will + have + past participle.
In simple words: A job completed by a future time needs the future perfect.

Teacher's Note:
1. 'By' + a future time usually points to the future perfect.
2. With 'I', 'shall' is the traditional helping verb.

Question 10. The students __________ answers to all my questions. (give)
Answer:
gave
As per the key, the sentence is in the simple past: 'The students gave answers to all my questions'.
In simple words: A finished action in the past takes the simple past.

Teacher's Note:
1. Give - gave - given.
2. The sentence gives no time word, so the key's simple past is accepted.

Question 11. __________ the students __________ yesterday? (study)
Answer:
Did ... study
'Yesterday' shows a finished past time, so the question uses 'Did' with the base form 'study'.
In simple words: 'Yesterday' + question = Did ... study.

Teacher's Note:
1. After 'did', the verb stays in its base form.
2. Remember the capital letter for 'Did' at the start.

Question 12. After school, we __________ and __________ our parents about our English teacher. (go, tell)
Answer:
went ... told
Both actions happened in the past, so both verbs are in the simple past: went and told.
In simple words: Two past actions in sequence: went and told.

Teacher's Note:
1. Go - went, tell - told.
2. Both verbs share the same time.

Question 13. The new railway bridge __________ two weeks ago. (complete)
Answer:
was completed
A bridge does not complete itself, so the passive voice is needed, in the simple past because of 'two weeks ago'.
In simple words: 'Was completed' is the passive past.

Teacher's Note:
1. 'Ago' calls for the simple past.
2. Passive = was/were + past participle.

Question 14. They __________ the work when the teacher entered the class. (finish)
Answer:
had finished
The finishing happened before the teacher entered, so the earlier action is in the past perfect.
In simple words: Earlier of two past actions: had finished.

Teacher's Note:
1. Had + past participle shows 'already done before'.
2. The later action 'entered' is in the simple past.

Question 15. I was teaching English when she __________ the classroom. (enter)
Answer:
entered
The longer action is in the past continuous (was teaching) and the shorter one that interrupts it is in the simple past: 'entered'.
In simple words: The interrupting action takes the simple past.

Teacher's Note:
1. Pattern: past continuous + when + simple past.
2. Do not use 'was entering' here.

Question 16. They __________ a new power station at the moment. (build)
Answer:
are building
'At the moment' shows an action going on now, so the present continuous is used: are building.
In simple words: 'At the moment' means the present continuous.

Teacher's Note:
1. Plural subject: 'are'.
2. Check for time markers in the sentence.

Question 17. When I __________ the stamps somebody __________ my name. (buy)(call)
Answer:
was buying ... called
The longer action in progress was buying the stamps (past continuous) and the shorter action that interrupted was calling my name (simple past).
In simple words: The ongoing action gets the continuous and the interrupting one the simple past.

Teacher's Note:
1. Use 'when' to join the two actions.
2. 'Was buying' = in the middle of buying.

Question 18. "What time __________ ?" "About an hour ago." (Keshav come)
Answer:
did Keshav come
'Ago' shows a finished past time, so the question is in the simple past: 'What time did Keshav come?'
In simple words: A question about a past time uses did + base form.

Teacher's Note:
1. Word order: question word + did + subject + base verb.
2. The answer 'about an hour ago' confirms the simple past.

Question 19. I __________ to the cinema last night. I __________ too tired. (not go)(be)
Answer:
did not go ... was
'Last night' is a finished past time. The first blank takes did not + base form and the second takes the past of 'be': 'was'.
In simple words: 'Last night' needs the simple past.

Teacher's Note:
1. Negative past: did not + base form.
2. 'I' goes with 'was', not 'were'.

Question 20. Kavita __________ us to the party but we __________ . We had other things to do. (invite)(not go)
Answer:
had invited ... did not go
The invitation came before we decided not to go, so the earlier action is in the past perfect (had invited) and the later one is in the simple past (did not go).
In simple words: Earlier action: had invited; later action: did not go.

Teacher's Note:
1. The past perfect sets one past action before another.
2. The second sentence gives the reason for the second action.

Question 21. Fill in the blanks with the correct forms of the verbs given in brackets.
I (a) __________ (learn) English for seven years now. But last year I (b) __________ (not work) hard enough for English, that's why my marks (c) __________ (not be) really that good then. As I want to (d) __________ (pass) my English exam successfully next year, I (e) __________ (study) harder this term.
Answer:
(a) have been learning
(b) did not work
(c) were not
(d) pass
(e) shall study
Reasons: (a) 'for seven years now' needs the present perfect continuous; (b) 'last year' is simple past; (c) the marks then were not good, simple past of 'be'; (d) 'want to' is followed by the base form; (e) a decision about the future takes 'shall/will' + base form.
In simple words: Match each blank with its time clue: for seven years now, last year, then, want to, this term.

Teacher's Note:
1. Underline the time clue for each blank before choosing the tense.
2. 'Want to' is always followed by the base verb.

Teacher's Note:
1. Read the first line to fix the tense, then check each line against it.
2. Underline the correct word as the book asks.

Teacher's Note:
1. Read each line aloud and listen for the place where a verb is missing.
2. Decide between is/are and was/were from the subject and the time of the sentence.