Past Simple Tense Test: Quiz!

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| By Robert Dobie
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Robert Dobie
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Quizzes Created: 3 | Total Attempts: 3,459
| Attempts: 497
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  • 1/16 Questions

    We ... some sandwiches and fresh fruit to eat for lunch yesterday.

    • Buys
    • Buy
    • Bought
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About This Quiz

This quiz focuses on the use of the past simple tense in English. It assesses ability to form and understand past simple sentences through various examples, enhancing learners' grasp of past events expression.

Past Simple Tense Test: Quiz! - Quiz

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  • 2. 

    My family and I ... in London when I was young.

    • Lived

    • Live

    • was live

    Correct Answer
    A. Lived
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "lived." This is because the sentence is referring to a past event, indicating that the action of living in London occurred in the past. The verb "lived" is the correct past tense form of the verb "live."

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  • 3. 

    Why ... you finish your math homework last week?

    • Didn't

    • Wasn't

    • Weren't

    Correct Answer
    A. Didn't
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "didn't" because it is the negative form of the auxiliary verb "did" which is used to form the past simple tense in English. In this question, the use of "didn't" indicates that the action of finishing the math homework did not occur in the past week.

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  • 4. 

    We had a great time and we ... lots of fun and exciting things.

    • Did

    • Do

    • Was did

    Correct Answer
    A. Did
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "did". In this sentence, the past tense of the verb "do" is needed to match the past tense of the sentence. "Did" is the correct past tense form of "do".

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  • 5. 

    They ...back to their country last month.

    • Fly

    • Flies

    • Flew

    Correct Answer
    A. Flew
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "flew" because it is the past tense form of the verb "fly." It indicates that the subject (they) performed the action of flying back to their country in the past.

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  • 6. 

    (A) ... they tired after the long trip? (B) Yes, they ....

    • Were / were

    • Was / were

    • Were / was

    Correct Answer
    A. Were / were
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "Were / were" because the subject "they" is plural, so it requires the plural form of the verb "to be," which is "were." Additionally, the second part of the sentence also refers to "they," so it also requires the plural form "were."

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  • 7. 

    He ... see a dentist yesterday because he had a toothache.

    • Has to

    • Have to

    • Had to

    Correct Answer
    A. Had to
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "had to". This is because the sentence is in the past tense and the action of seeing a dentist yesterday is already completed. "Had to" is the past form of "have to" and is used to express obligation or necessity in the past.

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  • 8. 

    She didn't answer the phone because she ... at home.

    • Didn't

    • Weren't

    • Wasn't

    Correct Answer
    A. Wasn't
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "wasn't." This is because the sentence is referring to a singular female subject, and the past tense of the verb "to be" for this subject is "wasn't."

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  • 9. 

    They wanted to ... a movie, but there were no more tickets.

    • See

    • Saw

    • Seeing

    Correct Answer
    A. See
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "see". The sentence is in the past tense and the subject "they" wanted to watch a movie. "See" is the correct verb form in the past tense to indicate their desire to watch the movie.

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  • 10. 

    I wanted to ..., but I couldn't.  I had to stay and help my friend.

    • Went

    • Go

    • Going

    Correct Answer
    A. Go
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "go" because it is the base form of the verb and is used to express an action that was intended or desired but was not able to be carried out in this situation.

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  • 11. 

    (A) Did you have a good time? (B) Yes, I ....

    • Had

    • Did

    • Have

    Correct Answer
    A. Did
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "did" because it is the past tense form of the verb "do" and matches the tense of the question. The question is asking about a past event ("Did you have a good time?"), so the response should also be in the past tense.

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  • 12. 

    Did you ... lots of interesting photos on your holiday?

    • Took

    • Take

    • Takes

    Correct Answer
    A. Take
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "take." In this question, the subject "you" is being asked if they took (past tense) lots of interesting photos on their holiday. The verb "take" is the correct form to use in this context because it agrees with the subject "you" and is in the past tense to match the word "did" in the question.

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  • 13. 

    ... they late or on time yesterday afternoon?

    • Were

    • Did

    • Was

    Correct Answer
    A. Were
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "Were" because the question is asking about the subject "they," which is a plural pronoun. In the past tense, the verb "to be" is conjugated as "were" for plural subjects. Therefore, "Were" is the appropriate choice to indicate whether "they" were late or on time yesterday afternoon.

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  • 14. 

    When did they ... back to their country?

    • Flew

    • Flies

    • Fly

    Correct Answer
    A. Fly
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "fly" because the question is asking about the action of returning to their country, which is a verb. "Flew" is the past tense form of "fly" and "flies" is the present tense form, but since the question is in the past tense ("When did they..."), the correct answer is "fly."

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  • 15. 

    He didn't ... me because I was behind the tree.

    • Saw

    • See

    • Sees

    Correct Answer
    A. See
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "see". The sentence is in the past tense, and the subject "He" is the one who performed the action of seeing. Since the subject is singular, the correct verb form is "see" in the past tense.

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  • 16. 

    (A) ... you a good student in school? (B) Yes, I was.

    • Did

    • Were

    • Was

    Correct Answer
    A. Were
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "Were" because the question is asking about being a good student in school, which refers to multiple students. Therefore, the correct form of the verb "to be" should be the plural form "were."

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Our quizzes are rigorously reviewed, monitored and continuously updated by our expert board to maintain accuracy, relevance, and timeliness.

  • Current Version
  • Mar 22, 2023
    Quiz Edited by
    ProProfs Editorial Team
  • May 04, 2014
    Quiz Created by
    Robert Dobie
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