Question

Fill in the blank with the correct past perfect form of the verb:
By the end of the 19th century, a tea culture _______ in Ireland.
A) Was developing
B) Will develop
C) Had developed
D) None of these

Answer 1

Hint: A verb's tense is the form it takes to express time and the continuation or completion of an event. Four subcategories denote the continuation or completion of the operation.
Simple tense: it is used in the present tense for habitual or regular actions, in the past tense for actions that have occurred, and in the future tense for actions that will occur.
Continuous tense: the action is in progress or is unfinished.
Perfect tense: the action is over, complete, or perfect at a specific point in time.
Perfect continuous tense: the action continues for an extended period of time and is not yet completed.

Complete answer:
The past perfect tense refers to an event that occurred before a certain point in time. It's made up of 'had' (the past tense version of 'to have') and the main verb's past participle form.
Let us evaluate the options which one is the best fit for the sentence.
Option A) Was developing - This is the wrong one. Since 'was developing' is in the past continuous tense. But in the given sentence by the end of the 19th century, a tea culture is developed in the past event. But, the option refers to the action happening continuously in the past. so this is not the best fit for the sentence.
Option B) will develop - This is also incorrect, because 'will develop' is the event that will happen in future. But in the given sentence by the end of the 19th century, tea culture is developed as the past event. so this is also not the best fit for the sentence.
Option C) Had developed - In the given sentence, the event is done in the past by the end of the 19th century. Even, the option ‘Had developed’: here, the main verb is 'develop,' which has a past participle form of 'developed.' 'Had developed' is the proper past perfect form of the verb. So, this is the right one.
Option D) None of these - This is incorrect; the correct response is C. But the option refers to no one of the options being a perfect fit for the given sentence.

Therefore the correct answer is option ‘C’.

Note:
- Make sure you consider the time of operation when answering questions about tenses because this will help you choose the correct type of verb.
- Other than the current, past, and future tenses, there are also perfect, progressive, and present progressive tenses.
- As a general rule, make sure you use the same verb form in the sentence or text, unless the theme or time of action changes.
- Since verbs change forms frequently within a text, a detailed understanding of verb forms is essential.
- After you've finished answering the questions, read the sentence to see if there are any grammatical errors.