Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

The sentence contains a tense consistency error. The manager's instruction (past action with present relevance) correctly uses present perfect 'has instructed', but the reported speech clause uses 'should complete' which is appropriate for a future deadline. However, the error lies in the structure: when 'instruct' is followed by a that-clause with a future obligation, the reported verb should maintain consistency. The correct form is 'has instructed the team members that they should complete' — which is actually correct. Upon careful review, all parts are grammatically sound. The present perfect 'has instructed' is correct for a recent instruction; 'should complete' is correct for reported obligation regarding a future deadline. **No error** is the correct answer.

Question 2

If I (A) knew / (B) had known / (C) know / (D) will know the answer, I would have told you immediately.

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is (B) 'had known'. This sentence uses a mixed conditional structure: the 'if' clause refers to a past hypothetical situation (past perfect), while the main clause 'would have told' refers to a past result (conditional perfect). This is a Type 3 conditional (impossible past condition). Option (A) uses simple past, which would form a Type 2 conditional (present/future hypothetical), creating a tense mismatch. Option (C) uses simple present, which is grammatically incorrect for a conditional clause. Option (D) uses simple future, which cannot appear in an 'if' clause in standard English.

Question 3

The report (A) was submitted / (B) has been submitted / (C) had been submitted / (D) is being submitted yesterday by the manager.

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is (A) 'was submitted'. The adverb 'yesterday' clearly indicates a specific past time, which requires the simple past tense. The passive voice 'was submitted' correctly combines simple past with passive construction. Option (B) uses present perfect passive, which is incompatible with 'yesterday' (a definite past time). Option (C) uses past perfect passive, which implies an action before another past action—no such sequence exists here. Option (D) uses present continuous passive, which contradicts the past timeframe of 'yesterday'.

Question 4

By the time the train arrives, we (A) will have waited / (B) will wait / (C) have waited / (D) are waiting for three hours.

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is (A) 'will have waited'. The phrase 'by the time' indicates a future point at which a past action (from that future perspective) will be completed. This requires the future perfect tense (will have + V3). Option (B) uses simple future, which doesn't show completion before the arrival. Option (C) uses present perfect, which is inappropriate for a future scenario. Option (D) uses present continuous, which doesn't fit the future timeframe indicated by 'by the time the train arrives'.

Question 5

Identify the error in the following sentence:

After the manager (A) had submitted the report, the team (B) were waiting for feedback, which (C) has been delayed for three weeks now. (D) No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (C). The sentence shifts from past perfect ('had submitted') and simple past ('were waiting') to present perfect ('has been delayed'). Since the entire context is set in the past (the manager had submitted, the team were waiting), the phrase 'for three weeks now' should use simple past ('had been delayed') to maintain past tense consistency, or the sentence structure should be revised to establish a clear present reference point.

Question 6

Identify the error in the sentence below:

By the time the investigation (A) concludes, the authorities (B) will have been examining the evidence for over two years, and they (C) will submit their final report next month. (D) No error

Accepted Answer

The sentence contains a tense inconsistency. The first clause uses future perfect continuous ('will have been examining'), which correctly refers to an action that will be completed by a future point. However, the second clause shifts to simple future ('will submit'), which contradicts the temporal logic. Since both actions occur after the investigation concludes, and the report submission is presented as a consequence of the investigation's completion, the second clause should use future perfect ('will have submitted') to maintain consistency with the established future timeline. The error is in part (C).

Question 7

Identify the error in the following sentence:

The committee (A) have been discussing the proposal (B) since the meeting began yesterday, and they (C) will have reached a decision by tomorrow evening. (D) No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (C). The sentence uses future perfect ('will have reached') to describe a decision expected by tomorrow, but this contradicts the present perfect continuous ('have been discussing') which indicates an ongoing action from a past point. The correct form should be 'will reach' (simple future) to maintain consistency with the timeline: they are currently discussing and will decide by tomorrow.

Question 8

Identify the error in the following sentence:

Since the company (A) has implemented the new policy, productivity (B) has increased significantly, and employees (C) are reporting higher job satisfaction than they had been before. (D) No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (C). The sentence uses present continuous ('are reporting') in a context where the comparison is with a past state ('than they had been before'). The phrase 'than they had been before' uses past perfect, which creates a tense mismatch. The correct form should be 'are reporting higher job satisfaction than they were before' (simple past in the comparative clause) or restructure to 'are reporting higher job satisfaction than before.' The present continuous doesn't align logically with the past perfect comparison.

Question 9

Identify the error in the following sentence:

The witness (A) had testified that the suspect (B) has been seen leaving the building at midnight, and the CCTV footage (C) will confirm his statement. (D) No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (B). The sentence uses indirect speech (reported speech) introduced by 'had testified' (past tense reporting verb). In indirect speech, the reported clause must shift to a past tense. The phrase 'has been seen' (present perfect) should be 'had been seen' (past perfect) to maintain the correct sequence of tenses in reported speech. The reporting verb is in past, so the reported information must also be in past.

Question 10

Identify the error in the following sentence:

By the time the project (A) will be completed, the team (B) will have worked for eighteen months, and the budget (C) will be exhausted completely. (D) No error (E)

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (A). The phrase 'By the time' introduces a future time clause, which must use simple present tense ('is completed'), not future tense ('will be completed'). In English, time clauses (introduced by 'when,' 'before,' 'after,' 'by the time,' etc.) use simple present to refer to future time, even though the meaning is future. The main clause correctly uses future perfect ('will have worked').

SSC CPO Tenses

Tenses— Rules & Concept

Key Points to Remember

Exam-Specific Tips

Tenses — Practice Questions

60-Second Revision — Tenses