Question 1

The manager (A) have instructed / (B) has instructed / (C) had instructed / (D) is instructing the team about the new project guidelines since yesterday. No error

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is (B) 'has instructed'. The subject 'manager' is singular, requiring the singular auxiliary verb 'has' with the past participle 'instructed'. Option (A) uses the plural form 'have', which violates subject-verb agreement. Option (C) 'had instructed' (past perfect) is incorrect because the action began in the past and continues to the present, requiring present perfect. Option (D) 'is instructing' (present continuous) doesn't fit the context of a completed instruction with present relevance.

Question 2

The students (A) have submitted / (B) has submitted / (C) had submitted / (D) are submitting their assignments before the deadline, and the teacher (A) has already graded / (B) have already graded / (C) will grade / (D) is grading them. No error

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is (A) 'have submitted' and (A) 'has already graded'. The subject 'students' is plural, requiring the plural auxiliary 'have' in present perfect ('have submitted'). The action is completed and relevant to the present, making present perfect appropriate. The second clause has the singular subject 'teacher', requiring the singular auxiliary 'has' in present perfect ('has already graded'). Option (B) uses singular 'has' with plural 'students', violating agreement. Option (C) 'had submitted' (past perfect) is incorrect because there is no earlier past action to justify it. Option (D) 'are submitting' (present continuous) doesn't fit a completed action. For the second clause, (B) uses plural 'have' with singular 'teacher', (C) 'will grade' is future tense (inappropriate for a completed action), and (D) 'is grading' is present continuous (doesn't show completion).

Question 3

Since the company (A) has launched / (B) launched / (C) had launched / (D) is launching its new product line, sales (A) have increased / (B) has increased / (C) will increase / (D) are increasing significantly. No error

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is (A) 'has launched' and (A) 'have increased'. The word 'since' indicates a point in time from which an action began and continues to the present, requiring present perfect. The subject 'company' is singular, so 'has launched' is correct. The second clause has the plural subject 'sales', requiring the plural auxiliary 'have' in present perfect ('have increased'). The adverb 'significantly' modifies the verb and doesn't change the tense requirement. Option (B) 'launched' (simple past) is incorrect because 'since' requires present perfect. Option (C) 'had launched' (past perfect) is incorrect because there is no earlier past action. Option (D) 'is launching' (present continuous) is incorrect because it doesn't show the action's relevance from a past point to the present. For the second clause, (B) 'has increased' uses singular with plural subject, (C) 'will increase' is future tense (inappropriate), and (D) 'are increasing' is present continuous (doesn't show completion and relevance).

Question 4

The accountant (A) has been working / (B) have been working / (C) is working / (D) was working on the financial report for the past three hours and (A) has not finished / (B) have not finished / (C) is not finishing / (D) was not finishing yet. No error

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is (A) 'has been working' and (A) 'has not finished'. The subject 'accountant' is singular, requiring the singular auxiliary 'has'. The phrase 'for the past three hours' indicates an action that started in the past and continues to the present, requiring present perfect continuous ('has been working'). The second clause also needs present perfect ('has not finished') because the action is incomplete and relevant to the present moment. Option (B) uses plural 'have', violating agreement. Option (C) 'is working' is simple present continuous, which doesn't account for the duration 'for the past three hours'. Option (D) 'was working' is past continuous, which is inappropriate for an ongoing action that extends to the present.

Question 5

The manager said that he (A) will attend / (B) would attend / (C) attends / (D) has attended the meeting if he (A) finishes / (B) finished / (C) will finish / (D) has finished his current project. No error

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is (B) 'would attend' and (B) 'finished'. In reported speech with a past reporting verb ('said'), the reported clause must shift to past tense. The conditional 'would attend' is paired with the past tense 'finished' in the if-clause to maintain tense consistency and show a hypothetical condition.

Question 6

The manager (A) has instructed / (B) the team members that they (C) complete / (D) their reports by Friday. No error

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (C). After the verb 'instructed' in reported speech, the subordinate clause requires the base form of the verb (infinitive without 'to') or should use a modal. The correct form is 'to complete' or 'should complete', not 'complete' alone in this context. However, the most natural correction is 'to complete' as part of the infinitive construction following 'instructed'.

Question 7

The committee (A) have decided / (B) has decided / (C) have been deciding / (D) has been deciding that the new policy will be implemented next month. No error

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is (B) 'has decided'. A committee is a singular collective noun in Indian English and takes a singular verb. The simple past 'has decided' is the appropriate tense for a completed action with present relevance.

Question 8

Identify the error in the sentence below:

The manager (A) has announced that the project (B) will be completed by next month, although the team (C) have been working on it since the last six months (D). No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (D). The phrase 'since the last six months' is incorrect. When using 'since' with a duration of time (months, years, weeks), we must use 'for', not 'since'. 'Since' is used with a specific point in time (e.g., 'since January', 'since 2020'), while 'for' is used with durations (e.g., 'for six months', 'for two years'). The correct form should be 'for the last six months'. Parts A, B, and C are grammatically correct: (A) uses simple present for the announcement, (B) uses future simple for the expected completion, and (C) uses present perfect continuous, which is appropriate for an action that started in the past and continues to the present.

IBPS Clerk Tenses

Tenses— Rules & Concept

Key Points to Remember

Exam-Specific Tips

Tenses — Practice Questions

60-Second Revision — Tenses