50 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) on English Tenses

 


Here is a comprehensive set of 50 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) on English Tenses, specifically designed for the KPSC Group C (Non-Technical) exam level. These questions cover identification, error correction, and fill-in-the-blanks.




Part 1: Present Tense (1–15)

Which of the following is in the Present Perfect Tense?

A) I am writing a letter.

B) I have written a letter.

C) I wrote a letter.

D) I have been writing a letter.

Answer: B

The Earth ______ around the Sun.

A) revolved

B) is revolving

C) revolves

D) has revolved

Answer: C (Universal truth)

I ______ him for a long time.

A) know

B) have known

C) am knowing

D) have been knowing

Answer: B (Stative verbs like 'know' don't take -ing)

She ______ her breakfast yet.

A) has not taken

B) did not take

C) is not taking

D) does not take

Answer: A ('Yet' is used with Present Perfect)

Identify the tense: "They have been playing since morning."

A) Present Continuous

B) Past Perfect Continuous

C) Present Perfect Continuous

D) Present Perfect

Answer: C

Water ______ at 100 degrees Celsius.

A) boil

B) boils

C) is boiling

D) boiled

Answer: B

My father ______ for a walk every morning.

A) go

B) goes

C) is going

D) has gone

Answer: B (Habitual action)

Look! The bus ______.

A) comes

B) is coming

C) has come

D) come

Answer: B (Action happening now)

I ______ this book since Monday.

A) read

B) am reading

C) have been reading

D) have read

Answer: C ('Since' indicates duration)

He ______ a new car last week. (Wait, let's look for present context)

He ______ a new car now.

A) buys

B) is buying

C) has bought

D) bought

Answer: B

Choose the correct sentence:

A) He have finished his work.

B) He has finished his work.

C) He is finish his work.

D) He has finish his work.

Answer: B

The train ______ at 9:00 PM tonight.

A) leaves

B) left

C) leaving

D) was leaving

Answer: A (Fixed future schedule)

They ______ the task already.

A) completed

B) have completed

C) are completing

D) complete

Answer: B ('Already' indicates Present Perfect)

Honesty ______ the best policy.

A) was

B) is

C) has been

D) being

Answer: B

I ______ a headache right now.

A) am having

B) have

C) had

D) having

Answer: B (Possession/State)

Part 2: Past Tense (16–35)

I ______ my homework yesterday.

A) finish

B) finished

C) have finished

D) was finishing

Answer: B (Specific past time)

When I reached the station, the train ______.

A) left

B) has left

C) had left

D) was left

Answer: C (Earlier of two past actions)

While I ______ dinner, the lights went out.

A) cooked

B) was cooking

C) had cooked

D) cook

Answer: B (Ongoing past action interrupted)

India ______ independence in 1947.

A) gets

B) has got

C) got

D) had got

Answer: C

Identify the tense: "She had been studying for three hours when he arrived."

A) Past Continuous

B) Past Perfect

C) Past Perfect Continuous

D) Simple Past

Answer: C

They ______ to Mysore last Sunday.

A) go

B) went

C) have gone

D) had gone

Answer: B

I wish I ______ a king.

A) was

B) were

C) am

D) had been

Answer: B (Subjunctive/Imaginary past)

He ______ a book when I saw him.

A) read

B) was reading

C) had read

D) reads

Answer: B

By the time the police arrived, the thief ______.

A) escaped

B) had escaped

C) has escaped

D) escapes

Answer: B

I ______ the letter before he arrived.

A) posted

B) had posted

C) post

D) was posting

Answer: B

It ______ since morning yesterday.

A) rained

B) was raining

C) had been raining

D) has been raining

Answer: C

She ______ very hard for the exam.

A) work

B) worked

C) working

D) was work

Answer: B

Did you ______ him yesterday?

A) saw

B) see

C) seen

D) seeing

Answer: B (With 'did', use V_1)

The old man ______ last night.

A) die

B) died

C) has died

D) had died

Answer: B

We ______ in Bangalore for ten years (but we don't live there now).

A) lived

B) have lived

C) were living

D) had lived

Answer: A (or D depending on context, but A is common for simple past facts)

Columbus ______ America.

A) discovers

B) discovered

C) has discovered

D) had discovered

Answer: B

Identify the error: "I have written the letter yesterday."

A) I have

B) written

C) the letter

D) yesterday

Answer: A (Should be "I wrote")

She ______ her keys this morning.

A) lose

B) lost

C) has lost

D) losing

Answer: B

They ______ dinner when the guests arrived.

A) had

B) were having

C) have had

D) had had

Answer: B

The sun ______ before we started our journey.

A) rose

B) had risen

C) has risen

D) was rising

Answer: B

Part 3: Future Tense (36–45)

I ______ you tomorrow.

A) see

B) will see

C) saw

D) seen

Answer: B

By this time next year, I ______ the course.

A) will finish

B) will have finished

C) finish

D) am finishing

Answer: B (Future Perfect)

If it rains, we ______ the match.

A) cancel

B) will cancel

C) cancelled

D) would cancel

Answer: B (Conditional)

I ______ be staying with my aunt next week.

A) will

B) shall

C) am

D) would

Answer: B (Future Continuous: shall be staying)

Wait here until I ______ back.

A) will come

B) come

C) came

D) am coming

Answer: B (In time clauses, use Simple Present for future)

He ______ a doctor soon.

A) is

B) was

C) will be

D) has been

Answer: C

They ______ for us at the station.

A) will wait

B) will be waiting

C) wait

D) waited

Answer: B

By next Monday, she ______ here for a month.

A) will stay

B) will have been staying

C) stays

D) is staying

Answer: B

The Prime Minister ______ the building tomorrow.

A) inaugurates

B) will inaugurates

C) inaugurated

D) inaugurate

Answer: A (Fixed official plan)

I think it ______ rain today.

A) will

B) shall

C) is

D) was

Answer: A

Part 4: Mixed Review (46–50)

He usually ______ coffee, but today he ______ tea.

A) drinks, drinks

B) is drinking, drinks

C) drinks, is drinking

D) drank, drinks

Answer: C

I ______ the movie already.

A) saw

B) have seen

C) seen

D) see

Answer: B

If you ______ fast, you will catch the bus.

A) run

B) will run

C) ran

D) running

Answer: A

Since 2010, he ______ in this office.

A) works

B) is working

C) has been working

D) worked

Answer: C

Identify the tense: "I shall have been writing for two hours."

A) Future Perfect

B) Future Continuous

C) Future Perfect Continuous

D) Future Simple

Answer: C

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