Directions: Supply the correct form of the verb given in bracket.

The minister (ask) for co-operation of the people.

The sentence describes a completed request without specific time context. The simple past tense "asked" is appropriate here as it states what the minister did. "Asking" is a gerund, "was asking" would mean the minister was in the middle of asking, and "is asking" is present tense. The simple past "asked" is the most natural choice for reporting a minister's action.