Question

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word:
The lights went out ________________.
a) When the eight o’ clock news started
b) After I have finished my homework
c) As soon as you arrive home
d) Before the Prime Minister enters the conference hall

Answer 1

Hint: We have to choose the answer with the correct tense. As we can see, the given part of the sentence already has a tense which is past tense. It is very likely that the second part of the sentence shall also have a tense which is in the past tense since tenses are usually consistent in a sentence except in extremely rare cases.

Complete answer:
 The correct answer is option a. The lights went out when the eight o’clock news started. Here, both “went” and “started” is simple past. The tenses in the sentence are consistent.
Option b is wrong because the verb is “have started”. “Have started” is in the present perfect tense. It shows that you are still in the process of doing your homework. I have started to take swimming lessons- implying that you have joined the swimming class a few days back and are still in the process of learning.
Option c is in the present tense. As soon as you arrive home, the dog starts barking. It implies that it is something that happens every day. It is not talking about something which happens in the past nor in the future.
In option d, “enters” is also in the present tense. The past tense of enter is entered and the future tense is will enter. She enters the school through the second gate.

Note:
 A lot of clues to answers to questions regarding tenses are given in the question itself so read the question carefully. On being confused about a particular word, try to find out the past, present, and future tenses of the word. Make sure that the tenses are consistent in the sentence.