Question 1

Since she (A) joined / (B) has joined / (C) had joined / (D) is joining the company, she (A) works / (B) has worked / (C) worked / (D) is working very diligently. No error

Accepted Answer

The correct answers are (B) 'has joined' and (B) 'has worked'. The word 'since' indicates a point in time from which an action started and continues to the present, requiring present perfect tense in both clauses. Option (A) 'joined' and 'works' use simple past and simple present, which don't show the ongoing relevance. Option (C) 'had joined' and 'worked' use past perfect and simple past, which are incorrect with 'since'. Option (D) uses present continuous, which is inappropriate here.

Question 2

By the time the project (A) will be completed / (B) is completed / (C) completes / (D) is being completed, the team (A) will have worked / (B) will work / (C) have worked / (D) works for six months. No error

Accepted Answer

The correct answers are (B) 'is completed' and (A) 'will have worked'. In the time clause 'by the time the project is completed', simple present 'is completed' (passive voice) is required, not future tense. In the main clause, future perfect 'will have worked' is correct because it shows an action that will be finished by a future point in time. Option (A) 'will be completed' uses future tense in a time clause, which is incorrect. Option (C) 'completes' is simple present active, which doesn't fit the passive meaning. Option (D) 'is being completed' is present continuous passive, inappropriate here.

Question 3

The teacher (A) have been explaining / (B) has been explaining / (C) had been explaining / (D) is explaining the concept for the last thirty minutes. No error

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is (B) 'has been explaining'. The subject 'teacher' is singular, requiring the singular auxiliary 'has' with the present perfect continuous form. Option (A) uses the plural 'have', which violates subject-verb agreement. Option (C) uses past perfect continuous, which is inappropriate for an action that began in the past and continues to the present. Option (D) uses simple present continuous, which doesn't convey the duration indicated by 'for the last thirty minutes'.

Question 4

By the time the guests (A) arrive / (B) will arrive / (C) arrived / (D) have arrived, we (E) will have completed / (F) will complete / (G) have completed the preparations. No error

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is (A) 'arrive' and (E) 'will have completed'. In future time clauses introduced by 'by the time', the subordinate clause uses simple present tense (not future), while the main clause uses future perfect to show that one action will be completed before another future action begins. Option (B) incorrectly uses future tense in the subordinate clause. Option (C) uses past tense, which contradicts the future context. Option (F) uses simple future, which doesn't convey that the action will be completed before the guests arrive.

Question 5

The report (A) has been submitted / (B) had been submitted / (C) is being submitted / (D) was submitted yesterday, and the manager (A) has reviewed / (B) had reviewed / (C) is reviewing / (D) reviews it this morning. No error

Accepted Answer

The correct answers are (D) 'was submitted' and (A) 'has reviewed'. The first blank requires simple past 'was submitted' because 'yesterday' is a specific past time marker. The second blank requires present perfect 'has reviewed' because 'this morning' (which extends to the present moment) indicates an action that occurred in the recent past and is relevant now. Option (A) 'has been submitted' is present perfect passive, which doesn't fit 'yesterday'. Option (B) 'had been submitted' is past perfect passive, which requires an earlier past reference. Option (C) 'is being submitted' is present continuous passive, inappropriate with 'yesterday'.

Question 6

When the alarm (A) rang / (B) rings / (C) will ring / (D) has rung, everyone (E) woke / (F) wakes / (G) will wake up immediately. No error

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is (A) 'rang' and (E) 'woke'. This sentence describes a habitual or repeated action in the past using the simple past tense in both clauses. The subordinate clause introduced by 'when' uses simple past ('rang'), and the main clause also uses simple past ('woke') to show that both actions occurred in the past. Option (B) uses simple present, which contradicts the past context. Option (C) uses future tense, which is inappropriate for a past habitual action. Option (F) uses simple present, which doesn't fit the past context. Option (G) uses future tense, which contradicts the past time frame.

Question 7

The manager (A) have instructed / (B) has instructed / (C) had instructed / (D) is instructing the team about the new project deadline. 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 inappropriate without a prior past event for reference. Option (D) 'is instructing' changes the tense unnecessarily.

Question 8

If he (A) studies / (B) studied / (C) will study / (D) had studied hard, he (A) will pass / (B) would pass / (C) passes / (D) would have passed the examination. No error.

Accepted Answer

The correct answers are (B) 'studied' and (B) 'would pass'. This is a second conditional (hypothetical present/future situation). The structure is: 'If + simple past, subject + would + V1'. The simple past in the condition does not refer to actual past time but to a hypothetical present situation.

Question 9

Since she (A) moved / (B) has moved / (C) had moved / (D) was moving to Delhi, she attends a new school every day.

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is (B) 'has moved'. The word 'since' indicates a point in time from which an action began and continues to the present. This requires the present perfect tense. The main clause 'she attends' is in simple present, which is consistent with an action that started in the past and continues now.

Question 10

The manager (A) has been working / (B) has worked / (C) is working / (D) works in this office for the last ten years without any break.

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is (A) 'has been working'. The phrase 'for the last ten years' indicates a continuous period from the past to the present. The present perfect continuous tense ('has been + V-ing') is required to show an action that started in the past and continues uninterrupted to the present moment.

Question 11

By the time the train (A) arrives / (B) will arrive / (C) arrives / (D) shall arrive at the station, we (A) will have waited / (B) will wait / (C) have waited / (D) are waiting for three hours. No error.

Accepted Answer

The correct answers are (C) 'arrives' and (A) 'will have waited'. This sentence uses the future perfect tense structure: 'By the time + simple present, subject + will have + V3'. The 'by the time' clause requires simple present (not future), and the main clause requires future perfect to show completion before a future moment.

Question 12

She (A) has been working / (B) has worked / (C) is working / (D) was working in this office since she (A) graduated / (B) has graduated / (C) was graduating / (D) had graduated from university. No error.

Accepted Answer

The correct answers are (A) 'has been working' and (A) 'graduated'. The first blank requires present perfect continuous to show an action that started in the past and continues to the present. The second blank requires simple past because 'since' introduces a point in time (graduation), which is a completed past event.

Question 13

The manager announced that the office (A) will relocate to a new building next month, and all employees (B) have been instructed to submit their preferences regarding the shift, which (C) is expected to be completed before the financial year (D) will end. No error

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (D). The phrase 'before the financial year will end' uses simple future 'will end' in a time clause, which is incorrect. In English, simple present tense is used in time clauses (introduced by 'before', 'after', 'when', 'until', etc.), not future tense. The correct form should be 'before the financial year ends'.

Question 14

The committee (A) have decided that the new policy (B) will be implemented before the fiscal year ends, although many members (C) has expressed concerns about its feasibility. (D) No error

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (C). The subject 'many members' is plural, so the verb must be 'have expressed', not 'has expressed'. The phrase 'although many members has expressed concerns' violates subject-verb agreement because 'members' (plural) requires 'have', not 'has' (singular).

Question 15

If the company (A) had invested in new technology last year, it (B) would have achieved higher profits, and the shareholders (C) would not have been dissatisfied with the annual results that (D) were announced yesterday. No error

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (D). The phrase 'results that were announced yesterday' uses simple past 'were announced', but this is inconsistent with the mixed conditional structure. Since the sentence is discussing a hypothetical past scenario (using past perfect conditional 'had invested'), the relative clause should maintain consistency. However, 'yesterday' is a definite past time marker that justifies simple past. The actual error is subtle: the sentence mixes past perfect conditional (hypothetical) with simple past (factual), which is logically inconsistent. The results were announced yesterday (fact), so 'were announced' is correct, but the overall sentence structure is problematic. Upon careful review, part (D) is actually correct. The error is in the logical coherence of mixing hypothetical and factual statements, but grammatically, 'were announced' is acceptable. Re-evaluation: All parts are grammatically correct. The answer should be 'No error'.

Question 16

By the time the conference concludes next month, the delegates (A) will have been discussing (B) the proposal for over six weeks, and they will have reached (C) a consensus before the final session begins (D). No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (D). The sentence uses future perfect tense ('will have reached') in the main clause, indicating an action completed before a specific future time. The subordinate clause 'before the final session begins' uses simple present 'begins', which is correct for a future event in a time clause. However, the logical issue is that 'will have reached a consensus before the final session begins' is grammatically correct but creates a redundancy with part (B). Upon strict review, there is no grammatical error; all tenses are consistent. The answer should be 'No error'. Let me reconsider: actually, the sentence is grammatically sound. All parts use correct future perfect and simple present tenses appropriately.

Question 17

The research team (A) has been investigating the phenomenon since 2019, and they have discovered (B) that the results contradicts (C) the earlier hypothesis which was proposed (D) by the previous committee. No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (C). The subject 'results' is plural, so the verb must be 'contradict', not 'contradicts'. Although 'phenomenon' (singular) appears earlier, the actual subject of the verb 'contradicts' is 'results' (plural). This tests subject-verb agreement with a plural noun in a 'that' clause.

Question 18

The manager insisted that every employee (A) submits their reports (B) before the deadline, and he warned that anyone who fails (C) to do so will face disciplinary action (D). No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (A). After 'insisted that', the subjunctive mood requires 'submit' (base form), not 'submits' (simple present indicative). In formal English, verbs following 'insisted that', 'demanded that', 'suggested that', and similar expressions use the subjunctive form (base verb without -s). The correct form is 'The manager insisted that every employee submit their reports.'

Question 19

The committee (A) have decided that the new policy (B) will be implemented before the fiscal year ends, although many members (C) has expressed concerns about its feasibility (D). No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (C). The subject 'many members' is plural, so the verb must be 'have expressed', not 'has expressed'. This tests subject-verb agreement with a plural noun phrase in a subordinate clause.

SSC CHSL Tenses

SSC CHSL Tenses — Past Exam Questions

Tenses— Rules & Concept

Key Points to Remember

Exam-Specific Tips

60-Second Revision — Tenses