45. I ______ to the news on the radio when the phone ______.
A) listened / was ringing
B) am listening / was ringing
C) was listening / rang
D) listen / is ringing
46. But when I ______ up the phone, there was no one there.
A) pick
B) am picking
C) picked
D) was picking
47. I ______ hello to the children, but they didn't say anything because they ______ television.
A) say / watched
B) said / were watching
C) was / saying
D) said / watched
48. What ______ at 8.00 last night?
A) did you do
B) you did
C) were you doing
D) are you doing
49. We played tennis ______ two hours.
A) during
B) while
C) nothing
D) for
50. I worked on a farm ______ the holidays.
A) for
B) since
C) while
D) on
Answer (2)
Let's look at each sentence and choose the most appropriate option:
The sentence is describing two simultaneous actions, one past action being interrupted by another. The correct choice here is "C) was listening / rang" because "was listening" conveys an ongoing action in the past that was interrupted when the phone "rang."
This action took place in the past. Therefore, "C) picked" is the right choice because it places the action of picking up the phone in a completed past tense.
The action of saying hello is completed (past), while the children were in the ongoing process of watching television. Thus, "B) said / were watching" is the correct option.
For the question about an action at a specific time in the past, the past continuous tense should be used. Thus, "C) were you doing" is the appropriate response as it inquires about an ongoing action at a specified time in the past.
When expressing the duration of time in which an action took place, "D) for" is the accurate choice. "We played tennis for two hours" because "for" indicates the entire duration of time.
When referring to something that occurred during a specific period, "C) while" is used to indicate that something happened at the same time as the holidays. In this case, "while the holidays" is suitable for describing the period when the work occurred.
The selected answers are: 1) C) was listening / rang, 2) C) picked, 3) B) said / were watching, 4) C) were you doing, 5) D) for, and 6) C) while. Each answer appropriately reflects the tense and context of the sentences provided. Overall, these options accurately convey both the timing and nature of each action described in the sentences.
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