Question

Fill in the blank with a suitable option:
This application _____________________________ last week.
a) Should be sent
b) Must have been
c) Ought to have been sent
d) Should have sent

Answer 1

Hint:A verb is a content word that denotes an action, occurrence, or state of existence. A verb is the word class that serves as the predicate of a sentence.

Complete answer:
In the given question, we have to select the right modal which describes the obligation of sending the application the previous week, from the options given to us.
Let us thus analyze the options given to us in this question-
Option (a.), 'should be sent', refers to ‘should’, which means, ‘(auxiliary) Be obliged to; have an obligation to’.
However, option (a.) is incorrect as the tense in the sentence is of the past, and ‘send’ should be in past perfect instead of the simple present.
Option (b.), ‘must have been', refers to ‘must’, which means ‘(modal auxiliary, defective) to do with certainty; indicates that the speaker is certain that the subject will have executed the predicate’.
Therefore, option (b.) is incorrect as we need a modal that doesn’t represent compulsion but an obligation.
Option (c.), ‘ought to have been sent', refers to ‘ought to’, which means ‘(auxiliary) Indicating duty or obligation.’
Therefore, option (c.) is correct as it uses the right modal and tense.
Option (d.), ‘should have sent', is incorrect as it does not use the verb form ‘been’ which is essential in the sentence.

Note:
In this question, it will be helpful for the students to recall the concept of modals. A modal is an auxiliary verb (such as `can' or `will') that is used to express modality. Modality is a classification of propositions on the basis of whether they claim necessity or possibility or impossibility.