Past Continuous Tense Test Quiz! Trivia

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| By Anglaisre

Anglaisre

Community Contributor

Quizzes Created: 4 | Total Attempts: 7,282

questions: 13 | Attempts: 2,851 | Updated: Mar 22, 2023

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Questions and Answers

1.

Last night at 8, I ... dinner.
- A.
  
  Was cooking
- B.
  
  Were cooking
- C.
  
  Cooking
- D.
  
  Am cooking
Correct Answer
A. Was cooking

Explanation
The correct answer is "was cooking" because the phrase "Last night at 8" indicates a specific point in the past, and the use of "was" indicates that the action of cooking was ongoing at that time.

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2.

You ... when I visited you, so I went home.
- A.
  
  Were sleeping
- B.
  
  Was sleeping
- C.
  
  Sleeping
- D.
  
  Are sleeping
Correct Answer
A. Were sleeping

Explanation
The correct answer is "were sleeping". This is because the sentence is in the past tense and the subject "you" is plural, indicating that multiple people were sleeping. Therefore, the past continuous tense "were sleeping" is the appropriate form to use in this context.

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3.

I ... when I saw a shark.
- A.
  
  Was surfing
- B.
  
  Were surfing
- C.
  
  Surfing
- D.
  
  Am surfing
Correct Answer
A. Was surfing

Explanation
The correct answer is "was surfing." This is because the sentence is written in the past tense, and the subject "I" is singular. Therefore, the correct verb form to use is "was" instead of "were" or "am." The word "surfing" is the present participle form of the verb "surf," indicating that the action was happening at the same time as the sighting of the shark.

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4.

I ... the news when the power cut.
- A.
  
  Was watching
- B.
  
  Were watching
- C.
  
  Watching
- D.
  
  Am watching
Correct Answer
A. Was watching

Explanation
The correct answer is "was watching". This is because the sentence is in the past tense and the subject "I" is singular. Therefore, the correct verb form to use is "was watching".

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5.

What ... at 8 last night?
- A.
  
  Were you doing
- B.
  
  Was you doing
- C.
  
  You doing
- D.
  
  Are you doing
Correct Answer
A. Were you doing

Explanation
The correct answer is "were you doing." This is because the question is in the past tense, asking about an action that occurred at 8 last night. The correct form for asking about past actions in English is to use the past continuous tense, which is formed by using "were" + subject + "doing."

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6.

What ... when I arrived?
- A.
  
  Were you doing
- B.
  
  Was you doing
- C.
  
  You doing
- D.
  
  Are you doing
Correct Answer
A. Were you doing

Explanation
The correct answer is "were you doing." This is because the question is in the past tense and is asking about an action that was happening at a specific point in the past. The correct form of the verb to use in this case is the past continuous tense, which is formed by using "were" with the pronoun "you" and the present participle form of the verb "do."

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7.

At 7 this morning, we ... breakfast.
- A.
  
  Were having
- B.
  
  Was having
- C.
  
  Having
- D.
  
  Are having
Correct Answer
A. Were having

Explanation
The correct answer is "were having." This is because the sentence is in the past continuous tense, indicating an ongoing action in the past. The verb "were having" is the correct form for the subject "we" in this tense.

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8.

Oh hello! I didn't know you ... for me!
- A.
  
  Were waiting
- B.
  
  Was waiting
- C.
  
  Waiting
- D.
  
  Are waiting
Correct Answer
A. Were waiting

Explanation
The correct answer is "were waiting" because the phrase "I didn't know you..." indicates that the speaker is referring to a past event. In English, when talking about past events, we use the past continuous tense, which is formed by using "was/were" + present participle (-ing form of the verb). Therefore, "were waiting" is the correct form in this context.

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9.

I ... 130 down the dual carriageway when the police stopped me.
- A.
  
  Was doing
- B.
  
  Were doing
- C.
  
  Am doing
- D.
  
  Doing
Correct Answer
A. Was doing

Explanation
The correct answer is "was doing". This is because the sentence is in the past tense and refers to a specific action that was happening at a particular moment in the past. The verb "was doing" indicates that the speaker was engaged in the action of driving at the time when the police stopped them.

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10.

I was watching TV while my wife ... on the phone.
- A.
  
  Was talking
- B.
  
  Were talking
- C.
  
  Talking
- D.
  
  Is talking
Correct Answer
A. Was talking

Explanation
The correct answer is "was talking." This is because the sentence is in the past continuous tense, indicating that the action of talking was ongoing at a specific point in the past. Since the subject is "my wife," which is singular, the correct form of the verb is "was talking."

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11.

They ... problems with their car so they took the bus.
- A.
  
  Were having
- B.
  
  Are having
- C.
  
  Was having
- D.
  
  Having
Correct Answer
A. Were having

Explanation
The correct answer is "were having" because it is the past continuous tense form of the verb "have". This form is used to describe an ongoing action in the past. In this sentence, it indicates that at a specific time in the past, the individuals experienced problems with their car.

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12.

Sorry, we ... , could you repeat what you said?
- A.
  
  Weren't listening
- B.
  
  Wasn't listening
- C.
  
  Listening
- D.
  
  Were listening
Correct Answer
A. Weren't listening

Explanation
The correct answer is "weren't listening" because the phrase "weren't" is the correct form of the verb "to be" in the past tense, which matches the past tense of the sentence. The word "listening" is the correct verb form to complete the sentence and indicates that the subject was not actively paying attention.

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13.

He ... his homework, he was watching TV instead!
- A.
  
  Wasn't doing
- B.
  
  Weren't doing
- C.
  
  Doing
- D.
  
  Isn't doing
Correct Answer
A. Wasn't doing

Explanation
The correct answer is "wasn't doing" because it is the correct past continuous form of the verb "to do" to describe an action that was not happening at a specific time in the past. In this case, it indicates that the person was not doing their homework while they were watching TV instead.

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