Mixed Tenses in Paragraph ( 51 - 75 )
In the following passage, fill in each of the numbered blanks with the correct form of the word given in brackets.
51.
The other day, I was …1… (look) back in time to see how many times I …2… (take) big risks in life. I realised that hardly a few ‘less risky risks’ were taken in several decades. I have been a very cautious and careful manager of life, …3… (try) to keep it steady instead of making it rock.
Life is not all for a ‘bread and butter’ existence that …4… (make) us no better than animals. It has a deeper meaning that gets …5… (fulfill) in giving shape to its many purposes. Albert Einstein …6…. (compare) life to a ship that has to sail through turbulent waters to have its purpose fulfilled. He said, “A ship is always safe at the shore, but that is not what it is meant for.”
Life …7… (lose) its meaning and importance if we don’t experiment with it. We have to see that new steps are …8… (take) every day so that we are on the march all the time.
52.
Dipa Karmakar …1… (miss) a bronze medal by a whisker to finish fourth in the women’s vault finals in the Rio Olympic Games but still …2… (create) history by …3… (produce) the best-ever performance by an Indian gymnast in the Olympics history on Sunday.
The 23-year-old Dipa, who …4… (become) the first Indian woman gymnast to have qualified for the Olympics, scored an average of 15.066 points, a mere 0.15 less than the eventual bronze winner Giulia Steingruber (15.216) of Switzerland.
The gold …5… (go) to American pre-event favourite Simone Biles, adding to the two golds she has already …6… (win) in the team event and women’s individual all-around vault and floor exercise in this Olympics.
Dipa, could …7… (get) more points had she not landed on her haunches in her risky ‘Produnova’ vault for which she is now …8… (know) all over the world.
53.
Marathon, …1… (situate) at the coastal plains of Athens, was the site of one of the most important battles in ancient history. In 490 BCE, King Darius of Persia …2… (send) troops …3… (conquer) Athens. The armies of Persia and of Athens stood face to face in the battlefield. A few days later, part of Persian army became slack and the Athenians, …4… (take) advantage of the situation …5… (defeat) the Persians. General Militiades sent the messenger Pheidippides from Marathon to Athens with the news of the …6… (victory). The messenger ran forty kilometers to Athens at great speed, delivered the message and …7… (fall) to the ground dead. Today the Marathon refers to a …8… (run) race of 42.2 km in honour of the great battle.
54.
The Pharos of Alexandria, the tallest lighthouse ever …1… (construction), was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Ptolemy I, who ruled Alexandria, employed a Greek architect Sostratus …2… (build) a lighthouse to guide ships into the busy harbour. Twenty years later, Ptolemy died and his son Ptolemy II ascended the throne.
When the lighthouse …3… (complete), Sostratus asked the king the …4… (permit) to carve his name into the foundation stone. Ptolemy II refused …5… (say) only his name …6… (appear) on the building. So Sostratus chiseled an inscription …7… (bear) his name into the foundation and covered it with plaster into which he chiseled the name of Ptolemy II. Over the years; the plaster chipped away …8… (remove) Ptolemy’s name and revealing the name of Sostratus. Strange are the ways of artists!
55.
Chandi
Prasad Bhatt …1… (launch) a public campaign, …2… (know) as the ‘Chipko’
Movement, to protect the trees against the axe.
In this movement, village women played an active role. They took up their positions with each …3…
(hug) a tree by enveloping the trunk in their arms. This …4… (do) to warn the contractors that if
they wanted …5… (cut) down a tree, they would have to attack the protestors
first. Bhatt himself …6… (surprise) at
the success of the movement and at the protectors’ positive participation to
prevent the feeling of trees. This
unusual movement was successful as it …7… (base) on the principle of
non-violence and …8… (focus) on the sentimental feelings of the local
inhabitants who treated trees as their family members.
56.
One day an eagle swooped down from the sky and carried away a tiny baby. The eagle soon placed the baby on a cliff, near its nest.
It quickly became evident that the baby might never …1… (recover). A sailor tried to climb the cliff, but his limbs began …2… (tremble) and he had …3… (give) up the attempt. Then a shepherd tried. But after a short distance he …4… (lose) his footing and fell to the bottom of the cliff. At last a peasant woman tried. She put her feet on one shelf of the rock, then on another, then on a third. Slowly she climbed higher and higher until she …5… (reach) the eagle’s nest at the top of the cliff. …6… (Take) the baby in her arms, she began the dangerous …7… (descend). She moved slowly and carefully. Finally, she stood at the bottom of the cliff with the baby safe in her arms. She …8… (be) the baby’s mother.
57.
The innkeeper was unable …1… (make) both ends meet even though he did his best to draw customers by …2… (make) The Silver Star Inn comfortable. So he consulted a sage in order to solve his problem.
The sage advised him to change the name of his inn to The Five Bells Inn; and have a row of six bells hanging at the entrance. The innkeeper did what he …3… (tell), and this is what he …4… (see).
Every traveller, who passed by the inn walked in to point out the mistake. Once inside, they …5… (impress) by the cordiality of the service and decided …6… (check) in into the inn. This provided the innkeeper with the fortune that he …7… (seek) in vain for so long. There …8… (be) hardly a few things a person delights in more than finding fault with other people’s work.
58.
In the olden days, when merchant ships usually …1… (employ) teenage boys as part of the crew, a lad applied for one of these jobs. The owner of the …2… (ship) company asked him what he …3… (can) do.
“I can do my best,” the boy answerd, “to do what you are kind enough …4… (let) me try.”
“What have you done?” asked the owner.
“I …5… (saw) and split wood for my mother for nearly two years,” replied the boy.
“What have you not done?” asked the employer.
After some …6… (think) the boy said, “I have not gossiped in school for over a year.”
“That is enough,” said the merchant, “I …7… (take) you aboard my vessel and I hope some day …8… (see) you as its captain. A boy who can master a wood-pile and control his tongue must have good stuff in him.”
59.
…1…. (Walk) along a Russian street during the famine, Tolstoy …2… (meet) a beggar Tolstoy ….3… (check) through his pockets …4… (find) something he might give the man. But they were empty. He …5… (give) away all his money earlier. In his pity he reached out, took the beggar in his arms, kissed him on his hollow cheeks and said: “Don’t be angry with me, my brother, I have nothing …6… (give) you.”
The pale, thin face of the beggar …7… (light) up. Tears …8… (shine) in his eyes, as he said, “But you called me brother – that is a great gift.”
60.
One of the world’s greatest music composers, George Frederick Handel, was the son of a man who …1… (disapprove) music.
Handel, however, had an aunt, who …2… (teach) him to sing and, gave him a clavichord, a musical instrument like piano, to play secretly in the attic. In due course of time, Handel’s father …3… (appoint) as a surgeon to the court of Duke Johan Adolph I.
One day, …4… (learn) that Handel played his musical instrument, the Duke’s organist invited him …5… (play) the great court organ. The organist …6… (amaze) to hear what young Handel could do and …7… (take) him to play for the Duke.
At the end of the …8… (perform) the Duke called in Handel’s father and suggested that his son should study music. A suggestion from the Duke was very much a command. Thus, the composer of The Messiah began a great career in music.
61.
A fox, who …1… (lose) its front legs while …2… (escape) from a trap, lived in a forest. People …3… (wonder) how the fox could move about and get its food. One day a young man saw a tiger …4… (bring) a fresh game in its claws. After it had its meal it left the rest for the fox. The same thing happened regularly every day. The young man thought to himself, “If God …5… (care) for the lame fox in this way, he …6… (provide) food for me.” So the man stopped working and rested on his bed. After some days, he …7… (leave) alone to starve. When he began to lose consciousness, he heard a voice from above, “Dear man, you are mistaken in your judgment; see the truth. Follow the example of the tiger, instead of …8… (imitate) the disabled fox.”
62.
Andhra Pradesh …1… (become) the first State in India to hold a paperless Cabinet meeting, …2… (set) a new trend in the power corridors of the country.
The paperless Cabinet …3… (meet) was the brainchild of Chief Minister Naidu, as ahead of the meeting the technology-savvy CM …4… (ask) all the Ministers not …5… (bring) any paper but just come with an iPad. At the first such E-Cabinet meeting, many important decisions …6… (take).
Henceforth the agenda of the Cabinet, as well as the decisions will be accessible to the Ministers on their desktops, laptops and iPads. E-Cabinet is a self-managed file …7… (share) system through a cloud tool, specially …8… (design) for the purpose.
63.
…1… (Wish) to test the security system in his new fort, the king and his minister …2… (disguise) themselves and reached its main gate. They …3… (stop) by the guard, who did not …4… (recognise) either of them. “We have come on an urgent business inside,” said the minister. “Kindly let us in.”
“No, I cannot, Sir. I need …5… (get) the permission from the security chief,” said the guard.
The minister urged the guard to let them in, and …6… (offer) him a bag full of gold coins. …7… (Tempt) by the money, the guard allowed the minister and the king to enter the fort.
Then said the minister, “Your Majesty, security is not about how strong your fort is. It is about how dependable your men …8… (be).”
64.
There was a boy, whose family was very wealthy. One day his father …1… (take) him on a trip to the country, where he wanted …2…(show) his son, how poor people lived. So they arrived at a farm of a poor family, as he considered. They …3… (spend) several days on that farm. On their return, the father …4… (ask) his son to tell in more details about his impressions about their trip.
The boy said, “Well, we have only one dog, and they have four of them. In our garden there is a pool, while they have a river that has no end. We …5… (get) expensive lanterns, but they have stars above their heads at night. We have the patio, and they have the whole horizon. We have only a small piece of land, while they have the endless fields. We buy food, but they grow it. We have high fence for …6… (protect) of our property, and they don’t need it, as their friends protect them.”
The father was …7… (stun). He could not say a word.
Then the boy added: “Thank you, dad, for letting me know how poor we are.”
This story shows that the true wealth as well as happiness is not …8… (measure) by materials things. Love, friendship and freedom are far more valuable.
65.
In an attempt to promote the ‘language’ of the Walled city (Delhi), the Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC) …1… (hold) discussions, workshops, and cultural events with the help of art and culture conservation experts. Special focus …2… (lay) on Urdu and calligraphers, who are residents of old Delhi.
During each session of an hour-long talk, participants …3… (give) basic knowledge of Urdu, correct …4… (pronounce) and history of the dying …5… (speak) language of Shahjahanabad.
Autobiographies of prominent residents of old Delhi like Ustad Chand Khan, Hakim Ajmal Khan, and Mirza Ghalib, and history of the region …6… (tell) through exhibitions.
In future, the corporation …7… (plan) to organize orientation workshops for artisans especially for calligraphers. The aim is to enable them to explore and to adopt new mediums of art through which they can …8… (make) sustainable livelihood.
66.
Long time ago, a king had a beautiful palace which had many wonderful things in it, including a hall, where all the walls, the ceiling, the door and even the floor …1… (make) of mirror. The walls of this hall made an extraordinary increased echo. Once, a dog …2… (run) into the hall and froze in surprise in the middle of the hall. A whole pack of dogs …3… (surround) it from all sides, from above and below. The dog …4… (bare) his teeth and all the reflections …5… (respond) to it in the same way. Frightened, the dog barked and the echo imitated the bark and increased it many times. The dog tossed from one side to another, …6… (bite) the air.
In the morning, the guards found the miserable dog, lifeless of surrounded by a million reflections of lifeless dogs. There was nobody, who would make any harm to the dog. The dog …7… (die) fighting with his own reflections.
The world doesn’t bring good or evil on its own. Everything that …8… (happen) around us is the reflection of our own thoughts, feelings, wishes and actions. The world is a big mirror.
67.
A professor …1… (stand) before his class with some items on the table in front of him. He …2… (pick) up a large and empty jar and …3… (proceed) to fill it with rocks, about 2 inches in diameter.
He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the rocks. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. The sand filled up the remaining open areas of the jar. He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “Yes.”
“Now,” said the professor, “I want you …4… (recognise) that this jar …5… (represent) your life. The rocks are the important things – your family, your partner, your health your children – things that if everything else was lost and only they …6… (remain), your life will still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter – like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else, the small stuff.”
“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he …7… (continue), “there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same …8… (go) for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
68.
Upon the passing away of his father, a son put his mother in an old-age home. The old-age home had rooms but no fans. After many years of …1… (live) there, the old woman was very ill and the doctor …2… (think) it appropriate …3… (call) the son in.
The mother and son met and talked. When the son asked whether she was comfortable and …4… (need) anything, the mother asked him …5… (put) fans in the old-age home. …6… (Surprise), the son said, “Mother, you …7… (live) here so many years and never told me about this, why now, when not much time is left?”
“Because, my son, I can live without a fan but I am …8… (worry) about you. You will not be able to live without a fan.”
69.
Specific real-life objects and activities like your television set or a game of football can be your thought starters and luck makers. There was once a famous writer …1… (name) Arthur J. Burks who boasted that he could take any object and make a story out of it. An interviewer for Reader’s Digest once tested him by …2… (point) to a door-knob. Burks went into a trance and …3… (come) up with the plot for a …4… (detect) story …5… (feature) a cache of stolen diamonds …6… (hide) in the hollow interior of the knob. The interviewer …7… (tiptoe) away as the slow tap-tap of Burks’ typewriter became …8… (increase) noisy high speed clatter.
70.
The American Academy of Pediatrics …1… (recommend) 60 minutes of daily unstructured free play as an essential part of children’s physical and mental health and social development. Back in the day, children …2… (see) …3… (play) various local games that …4… (keep) a child’s metabolism …5… (tick) and …6… (help) the body grow. Today obesity is a big problem. Longer school hours, emphasis on academics, and access to gadgets …7… (lead) to a sedentary lifestyle. One hour of play a day …8… (make) a huge difference.
71.
A farmer and his neighbour once went to Emperor Akbar’s court with a complaint “Your Majesty, I bought a well from him,” said the farmer, …1… (point) to his neighbour,” and now he …2… (want) me …3… (pay) for the water.”
“That’s right, your Majesty,” said the neighbour. “I …4… (sell) him the well but not the water!”
The Emperor asked Birbal to settle the dispute.
“Didn’t you say that you sold your well to this farmer?” Birbal asked the neighbour. “So, the well belongs to him now, but you …5… (keep) your water in his well. Is that right? Well, in that case you …6… (have) to pay him a rent or …7… (take) your water out at once.” The neighbour realised that he …8… (outwit). He quickly apologised and gave up his claim.
72.
Sohil presented a beautiful bouquet to Ruby, his dear wife. She was delighted with the …1… (collect) of unusual flowers. She …2… (excite) after …3… (see) the big colourful flower in the centre of the bouquet. When she was trying …4… (smell) it, it punched her in her nose. Sohil, …5… (baffle) by the incident, took the flower to the botanical garden, where the flower …6… (examine). Then he was told that it was a kind of orchid …7… (call) Cymbidium. The flower seizes anything that has a scent of an insect, so that the latter can carry the pollen of the former. So next time, before …8… (sniff) a rare orchid, hold your nose.
73.
A despotic sultan who was blind in one eye invited three artists to paint his picture. “If you …1… (do) a bad portrait, I …2… (punish) you,” he warned, “but if you do a good one I will reward you. Now …3… (start)”. The first artist produced a picture that showed the sultan as he …4… (be), blind in one eye. The sultan had him …5… (execute) for …6… (show) disrespect to his monarch. The second artist showed him with both eyes intact. The sultan had him flogged for trying …7… (flatter) him. The third artist drew him in profile, showing only his good eye. The sultan …8… (please), and rewarded him with gold.
74.
There was a king in China who used to spend hours in his uniform, …1… (parade) before a mirror in his room. He would remain secluded in his palace, admiring himself, while his subjects …2… (starve) to death, and his kingdom went to ruin.
One night, a courtier gathered a group of palace …3… (attend) and, while the king slept, cut a window on the wall where the king’s mirror had hung.
The next morning, when the king dressed himself in his …4… (sparkle) medals, he walked to where the mirror had been and saw to his …5… (amaze) the unending procession of his people passing on the street. He saw starving children reaching into garbage cans for crusts. He saw sick and …6… (main) men and women.
He …7… (tear) off his medals, called for simple clothes, and went out …8… (mingle) with the people. His whole outlook on life changed when he stopped looking into mirror at himself only.
75.
A middle-aged woman had a heart attack and …1… (admit) to the hospital, where she had a near death experience. …2… (See) God she asked “Is my time up?” God answered, “No, you have another 40 years, …3… (live).” Upon recovery, the woman decided to stay in the hospital and have a facelift, liposuction, and a tummy tuck. She even had someone to change her hair colour. After her stay in the hospital she …4… (go) home. While crossing the street on her way home, she …5… (hit) by a car and died immediately. …6… (Arrive) in front of God, she said, “I …7… (think) you said I had another 40 years; why didn’t you pull me out from the path of the car?”
God replied, “I didn’t …8… (recognise) you.”
Answers
51
- looking
- have taken
- trying
- makes
- fulfilled
- compares
- loses
- taken
52.
- missed
- created
- producing
- had become
- went
- won
- have got
- known
53.
- situated
- sent
- to conquer
- taking
- defeated
- victory
- fell
- running
54.
- constructed
- to build
- was completed
- permission
- saying
- Would appear
- bearing
- removing
55.
- launched
- known
- hugging
- was done
- to cut
- was surprised
- was based
- focused
56.
- be recovered
- to tremble
- to give
- lost
- reached
- Taking
- descent
- was
57.
- to make
- making
- was told
- saw
- were impressed
- to check
- was seeking
- are
58.
- employed
- shipping
- could
- to let
- sawed
- thinking
- will take
- to see
59.
- Walking
- met
- checked
- to find
- had given
- to give
- lit
- were shining
60.
- disapproved
- taught
- was appointed
- having learnt
- to play
- was amazed
- took
- performance
61.
- had lost
- escaping
- wondered
- bringing
- cared
- would provide
- was left
- imitating
62.
- has become
- Setting
- meeting
- had asked
- to bring
- were taken
- sharing
- designed
63.
- Wishing
- disguised
- were stopped
- recognise
- to get
- offered
- tempted
- are
64.
- took
- to show
- spent
- asked
- have got
- protection
- stunned
- measured
65.
- held
- was laid
- were given
- pronunciation
- spoken
- was told
- plans
- make
66.
- were made
- ran
- surrounded
- bared
- responded
- biting
- died
- happens
67.
- stood
- picked
- proceeded
- to recognise
- represents
- remained
- continued
- goes
68.
- living
- thought
- to call
- needed
- to put
- Surprised
- have lived
- worried
69.
- named
- pointing
- came
- detective
- featuring
- hidden
- tiptoed
- increasingly
70.
- has recommended
- are seen
- playing
- keep
- ticking
- help
- have led
- makes
71.
- pointing
- wants
- to pay
- have sold
- have kept
- will have
- take
- has been outwitted
72.
- collection
- got excited
- seeing
- to smell
- baffled
- was examined
- called
- sniffing
73.
- do
- will punish
- start
- was
- executed
- showing
- to flatter
- was pleased
74.
- parading
- starved
- attendants
- sparkling
- amazement
- maimed
- tore
- to mingle
75.
- was admitted
- Seeing
- to live
- was going
- was hit
- Arriving
- Thought
- recognise