Correct Verb Forms – ISC Practice questions
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15 Verb Forms (Tense) Practice Sets (Class XI, XII)
Instructions: Fill in the blanks in the passages given below with the appropriate form of the verb given in brackets. Do not write the passage, but write the verbs in the correct serial order against numbers (1) to (10).
ISC Practice Set 1
Last summer, Emily had been working tirelessly on her country garden. She (1) ________ (plant) a rare variety of perennials, (2) ________ (envision) a vibrant floral display. Every morning, she would spend hours (3) ________ (tend) to the tender shoots, ensuring they thrived under the temperate sun. One afternoon, while she (4) ________ (admire) her handiwork, she noticed an exotic butterfly perched upon a delphinium. Excitedly, Emily hurried indoors (5) ________ (fetch) her camera, (6) ________ (hope) to capture the fleeting moment. By the time she returned, the elusive insect (7) ________ (fly) away. Though disappointed, Emily resolved (8) ________ (create) a dedicated sanctuary for pollinators. Months later, as autumn set in, the creature returned, (9) ________ (draw) by the sweet blossoms that had blossomed since its visit. Grateful for the fortune, Emily immortalised the scene, cherishing the beauty that (10) ________ (elude) her once before.
ISC Practice Set 2
Once upon a time, there (1) ________ (live) three venerable monks in the eastern hills. They (2) ________ (be) entirely destitute of worldly riches, yet everywhere they (3) ________ (halt), their presence brought cheer. They would seat themselves in the bustling marketplace and begin (4) ________ (laugh) with joyous abandon. At first, the tradesmen simply (5) ________ (pass) by without paying heed. Gradually, however, an intrigued crowd assembled, (6) ________ (infect) by the mirth. The monks never uttered a sermon; their fame (7) ________ (grow) simply through this unspoken communion. It was as though they (8) ________ (comprehend) a cosmic jest hidden from mortals. After (9) ________ (dispel) the villagers' sorrows, the holy men would rise and (10) ________ (move) on to the neighbouring hamlet.
ISC Practice Set 3
A prominent placard affixed to the storefront (1) ________ (announce) an extraordinary clearance sale, scheduled (2) ________ (commence) at dawn. Long before daylight, an enormous queue (3) ________ (begin) to form along the pavement. Just as the iron shutters were about to (4) ________ (raise), an unassuming clerk (5) ________ (step) towards the front. Indignant shoppers promptly (6) ________ (elbow) him aside, forcing him to the rear. Undaunted, the gentleman again (7) ________ (endeavour) to reach the portal, only to be roughly (8) ________ (shove) into the gutter. Standing up and (9) ________ (brush) the dust from his coat, the gentleman quietly remarked, "If this uncivil conduct continues, I shall refuse (10) ________ (unlock) the establishment at all today."
ISC Practice Set 4
Generational antagonism is by no means an exclusively modern phenomenon. In classical Rome, during the second Punic War, the brilliant general Scipio Africanus (1) ________ (step) into command when Carthage (2) ________ (bring) the Republic to the verge of ruin. Although he was universally recognized as a military genius, his flamboyant personal habits (3) ________ (earn) him the disapproval of conservative senators. The historian Livy records that young Scipio (4) ________ (affect) long, flowing locks, (5) ________ (flout) the traditional Roman practice of cropped hair. When Scipio formally proposed (6) ________ (invade) the African mainland, his unorthodox demeanour (7) ________ (hold) against him by Fabius Maximus. Yet, despite (8) ________ (denounce) by his elders, Scipio prevailed, (9) ________ (secure) the victory that ultimately (10) ________ (break) the military might of Hannibal.
Answer Key — ISC Sets (1 to 15)
Set 1: (1) had planted / planted, (2) envisioning, (3) tending, (4) was admiring, (5) to fetch, (6) hoping, (7) had flown, (8) to create, (9) drawn, (10) had eluded[cite: 78, 84]
Set 2: (1) lived, (2) were, (3) stopped, (4) to laugh / laughing, (5) passed, (6) infected, (7) grew, (8) understood / had understood, (9) dispelling, (10) move[cite: 100, 102]
Set 3: (1) announced, (2) to start / to commence, (3) had begun / began, (4) be raised, (5) walked / stepped, (6) elbowed, (7) endeavoured, (8) shoved, (9) brushing, (10) to unlock[cite: 116]
Set 4: (1) stepped, (2) had brought, (3) earned / had earned, (4) had / affected, (5) flouting, (6) to invade, (7) was held, (8) being denounced, (9) securing, (10) broke[cite: 133, 140, 141]
Set 5: (1) was dozing / had been dozing, (2) was jolted, (3) pulled, (4) suspended / hanging, (5) ground, (6) to demand, (7) Advancing, (8) had predicted, (9) had saved / averted, (10) is celebrated[cite: 133, 141]
Set 6: (1) descending, (2) was regarded, (3) isolated, (4) had striven / had been striving, (5) obscured, (6) rendering, (7) were packing, (8) suffused, (9) had evaded, (10) rewarding[cite: 104, 106]
Set 7: (1) had been intimidated / was intimidated, (2) assuming, (3) locked, (4) to deposit, (5) hardened, (6) leaving, (7) bungled, (8) had lodged, (9) confessing / confess, (10) resounding / to resound[cite: 78, 85]
Set 8: (1) brought / had brought, (2) scanning, (3) to keep, (4) remained, (5) sang, (6) terrified, (7) arrived, (8) concealed, (9) hastened, (10) unleashing
Set 9: (1) were stricken / were struck, (2) would make, (3) were granted, (4) beholding, (5) had sustained, (6) to witness, (7) awakening, (8) allowing, (9) had known, (10) taking[cite: 127, 138]
Set 10: (1) restoring, (2) was brought, (3) were misaligned / had been misaligned, (4) attempting, (5) written, (6) fashioning, (7) was soldering, (8) observing, (9) tempered, (10) had done
Set 11: (1) seeking, (2) had been discovered, (3) had been trading / had traded, (4) have come, (5) waiting, (6) embedded, (7) lifting, (8) remained, (9) is authenticated, (10) will rewrite
Set 12: (1) had been marching / had marched, (2) descended, (3) froze, (4) Deprived, (5) listening, (6) had been running, (7) would threaten, (8) revealing, (9) advancing, (10) guided
Set 13: (1) to construct, (2) regarded, (3) pointing, (4) had devised, (5) allowed, (6) powered, (7) following, (8) marvelled, (9) stands, (10) defying
Set 14: (1) had remained, (2) was constructed, (3) could not be inserted, (4) Illuminating, (5) depicting, (6) to examine, (7) carved, (8) is preserved / has been preserved, (9) were brought, (10) providing
Set 15: (1) was accused / had been accused, (2) had seen, (3) pleaded, (4) maintaining, (5) adjourned / was adjourned, (6) was completed, (7) contained, (8) satisfied, (9) commended, (10) ordered
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