Advanced grammar tests - English exam centre 2015
English Tenses / Test-2
01- Look, the conservation volunteers ... cheerfully in the sunshine all morning, unlike yesterday, when they ... to work in the rain.
A) worked / are refusing
B) are working / were refusing
C) will be working / have refused
D) have been working / refused
E) will have worked / had refused
02- A: Is that your pure wool pullover in the washing machine? It ... you know!
B: No, I ... it several times in the machine already. I use the wool cycle and it's fine.
A) was shrinking / wash
B) has shrunk / had washed
C) will shrink / washed
D) is going to shrink / have washed
E) is shrinking / have been washing
03- The weather conditions ... throughout the day and now the ground officials are confident that the championship game ... ahead.
A) have been improving / will go
B) will be improving / will go
C) have improved / was going
D) are improving / has gone
E) improved / went
04- Some of us will be needed tomorrow to finish the fence because, at this rate, two sections ... unfinished when we ... work tonight.
A) have remained / stopped
B) will have remained / were stopping
C) are going to remain / will stop
D) are remaining / are stopping
E) will remain / stop
05- Decoupage, an art form that ... in France during the 17th century, ... cutting out designs and patterned materials and fastening them permanently to surface.
A) has originated / will involve
B) originated / involves
C) was originating / is involving
D) will have originated / involved
E) is originating / was involving
06. They ... so many hotels in the region in recent years that gradually they ... the natural beauty of the area.
A) were building / destroy
B) will built / have been destroying
C) have built / are destroying
D) are building / have destroyed
E) have been building / destroyed
07. After she ... to me for the fifth time, I ... another word she said, and put an end to our friendship.
A) has lied / don't believe
B) has been lying / won't believe
C) was lying / haven't believed
D) is lying / hadn't believed
E) had lied / didn't believe
08. Since they ... part in their first conversation volunteer week, they ... on several projects with great pleasure.
A) are taking / worked
B) take / will have worked
C) are going to take / are working
D) took / have worked
E) have been taking / work
09. Asia ... the world's largest land mass and ... just over half of the world's people.
A) has had / held
B) is having / is holding
c) has / holds
D) was having / was holding
E) has been having / will hold
10. I … to the bank during my lunch-break today, but an old colleague … to visit us, so, naturally, I wanted to hear all the news.
A) was going / came
B) went / is coming
C) have gone / was coming
D) had gone / has come
E) am going / comes
11. Suddenly it ... very foggy, so we ... compass bearings to find the right route down the mountain.
A) will become / use
B) had become / used
C) became / are using
D) becomes / will use
E) has become / had used
12. We're looking after our neighbour's dog as well as our own and it ... two kilos of meat a day, so I ... dog meat in bulk these days.
A) is eating / bought
B) ate / have bought
C) was eating / have been buying
D) eats / am buying
E) will have eaten / had bought
13. By the end of this court session the jury ... all the witnesses and they ... the courtroom to decide on a verdict.
A) have been hearing / have left
B) have heard / are leaving
C) are hearing / leave
D) hear / left
E) will have heard / will leave
14. I feel certain that her new travel agency ... because she ... a thorough market survey.
A) is succeeding / will do
B) has succeeded / will have done
C) will succeed / has done
D) was succeeding / is doing
E) succeeded / has been doing
15. When Chilean separatist forces ... an independent Chile in 1818, the vice-royalty of Peru ... over Chile for almost three centuries.
A) declared / had been ruling
B) has declared / was ruling
C) was declaring / has been ruling
D) is declaring / ruled
E) had declared / will have ruled
16. I ... some chicken curry earlier and ... Richard and Kate to stay for dinner, but just then I remembered that they were both vegetarian.
A) was going to cook / have asked
B) had been cooking / will ask
C) cooked / will have asked
D) had cooked / was going to ask
E) have cooked / had asked
17. I expect you ... from school by this time next year and ... for a job.
A) have graduated / will have looked
B) are graduating / have been looking
C) will have graduated / will be looking
D) graduate / will have been looking
E) were graduating / are going to look
18. Our Spanish teacher ... very slowly and clearly to us at the moment because we ... very far in the language yet.
A) talks / aren't progressing
B) is talking / haven't progressed
C) was talking / didn't progress
D) has been talking / weren't progressing
E) will be talking / don't progress
19. Before the potato blight ... Ireland in the 1840s, most Irish people ... on a subsistence diet of potatoes.
A) was striking / relied
B) has struck / relies
C) had struck / has relied
D) strikes / will rely
E) struck / had relied
20. Between the years 1846 and 1851, one million Irish men and women ... to death and 1.6 million ... to the USA.
A) had been starving / have emigrated
B) have been starving / emigrate
C) were starving / were emigrated
D) starved / emigrated
E) had starved / will have emigrated
21. Bangladesh ... independence from Pakistan in 1971 and ever since the assassination of the first prime minister in 1974, the military ... the country's government.
A) has gained / were dominating
B) had gained / are dominating
C) gained / have dominated
D) was gaining / dominate
E) gains / have been dominating
22. Over the recent years alcoholism ... a leading cause death of the young adult population in the USA. This statistics ... deaths from drunken driving and fires started by carelessly dropped cigarettes.
A) became / was including
B) becomes / included
C) was becoming / will include
D) is becoming / is including
E) has become / includes
23. Some of the workers ... the peaches while the others ... them in wooden boxes.
A) are picking / will place
B) were picking / were placing
C) have been picking / placed
D) picked / have been placing
E) had been picking / have placed
24. Although manufacturers ... electric cars as prototypes for a number of years now, it will be a long time before they ... common.
A) produced / are becoming
B) have been producing / become
C) produce / will become
D) are producing / became
E) were producing / will have become
25. Between 1607 and 1733 Englishmen ... thirteen colonies along the east cost of North America and by 1750 nearly two million men, women and children ... in these colonies.
A) were establishing / will be living
B) have been establishing / lived
C) established / were living
D) had established / will have lived
E) have established / had lived
26. I ... some wood for the fire while you ... the salad.
A) will fetch / prepare
B) fetch / are preparing
C) am fetching / will prepare
D) have fetched / prepared
E) was fetching / have prepared
27. By the 16th century, Austria ... so large that its emperor ... all of modern Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Spain as well as parts of Italy and Yugoslavia.
A) has become / ruled
B) was becoming / has ruled
C) was going to become / rule
D) had become / was ruling
E) becomes / has been ruling
28. The earthworm, which ... neither lungs nor gills, ... through its skin.
A) is having / has breath
B) has had / is breathing
C) was having / breathed
D) will have / was breathing
E) has / breathes
29. The athletes ... for exactly three months by the time the races ... due to start.
A) have been training / will be
B) will have been training / are
C) are going to train / will have been
D) are training / were
E) had trained / have been
30. Adolescence, the process of changing from a child into an adult usually ... sometime between the ages of 11 and 14 and ... for approximately six to ten years.
A) occurs / continues
B) occurred / has been continuing
C) will occur / continued
D) occurs / was continuing
E) occurred / will have continued
31. I ... Malcolm in his car, but he ... the traffic and didn’t see me.
A) was seeing / watches
B) see / has watched
C) have seen / is watching
D) saw / was watching
E) am seeing / watched
32. Tim ... a master’s degree as soon as he ... to Canada.
A) has begun / is returning
B) began / returned
C) is beginning / returned
D) was beginning / returns
E) begins / has returned
33. Ratchel ... up smoking four years ago and she ... a cigarette since.
A) was giving / doesn’t smoke
B) has given / wasn’t smoking
C) gave / hasn’t smoked
D) has given / didn’t smoke
E) is giving / isn’t smoking
34. Last year Sonny ... four miles each morning before breakfast, but he ... around the block each mourning instead since his heart attack.
A) ran / has been walking
B) has run / has walked
C) runs / was walking
D) has been running / walks
E) was running / walked
35. I ... a brace on my teeth as a child, but I didn’t like it.
A) was wearing
B) am wearing
C) have worn
D) wore
E) have been wearing
36. I ... an extra part-time job last week as we ... the money.
A) am starting / are needing
B) was starting / have needed
C) start / needed
D) have started / were needing
E) started / need
37. In 1951, the people of the Gold Coast ... for their own government and shortly afterwards, they ... their country as Ghana.
A) vote / are renaming
B) voted / renamed
C) have voted / were renaming
D) were voting / have renamed
E) are voting / rename
38. As my son ... down by the river, I ... his room thoroughly.
A) fishes / have cleaned
B) is fishing / cleaned
C) has fished / clean
D) fished / have been cleaning
E) was fishing / cleaned
39. We ... in Cornwall for two weeks last summer. Since then, we ... a holiday by the sea.
A) stayed / haven’t had
B) are staying / don’t have
C) were staying / didn’t have
D) stay / aren’t having
E) have stayed / weren’t having
40. One of the straps on the baby’s pram ... quite thin, so we ... to replace it.
A) wore / decide
B) wears / have decided
C) had worn / decided
D) is wearing / were deciding
E) has been wearing / decide
41. This time last year, his business ... a reasonable profit, but now, because of that management, he ... keep it going.
A) has made / has struggled
B) made / was struggling
C) make / has been struggling
D) has been making / struggles
E) was making / is struggling
42. The last time we ... dinner with them, they ... for a new house.
A) have had / looked
B) were having / have been looking
C) have been having / look
D) had / were looking
E) have / are looking
43. The whole family was busy. While the children ... decorations, their father .. up the Christmas tree.
A) are making / is setting
B) made / has been setting
C) have been making / has set
D) were making / was setting
E) have made / set
44. A: What’s on TV tonight?
B: Match of the day, Manchester United ... South Melbourne.
A) had played
B) were playing
C) are playing
D) have played
E) played
45. Isn't it strange that you ... for Mark’s surprise party all week, but you ... him a birthday present yet?
A) are preparing / didn’t buy
B) have been preparing / haven’t bought
C) prepared / don’t buy
D) have prepared / aren’t buying
E) prepare / weren’t buying
46. While my parents ... in the shopping centre, a thief ... into their car for the radio.
A) shopped / has broken
B) were shopping / broke
C) have shopped / breaks
D) are shopping / was breaking
E) shop / is breaking
47. When we ... her, she ... in the wardrobe.
A) were finding / hides
B) find / has hidden
C) are finding / is hiding
D) found / was hiding
E) have found / hid
48. I never ... my temper on purpose, of course, but sometimes I just ..., though I always regret it afterwards.
A) lose / explode
B) lost / am exploding
C) have been losing / exploding
D) were losing / have exploding
E) have lost / was exploding
49. Even though it ... heavily at the time, they ... home.
A) has snowed / were driving
B) snows / have been driving
C) was snowing / drove
D) has been snowing / drive
E) snowed / are driving
50. It’s been one week since the floods ..., but still aid workers ... people.
A) are striking / rescued
B) strike / were rescuing
C) were striking / have been rescuing
D) struck / are rescuing
E) have struck / rescue