Multiple choice

Directions: In the following sentence, three substitutions are given for each italicised part. If one of them is better than the italicised part, that should be your answer. If none of the substitution improves the sentence, the answer should be (4).

When he got off the train, he realised that a large gathering of his admirers was waiting for his arrival for a long time.

  1. is waiting

  2. had been waiting

  3. has waited

  4. No improvement
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The past perfect continuous 'had been waiting' is correct because the waiting started before and continued up to the past moment when he got off the train. 'Was waiting' (simple past) doesn't capture that the waiting had been ongoing for a long time before the train arrived. 'Has waited' would mean the waiting is still relevant now, which doesn't fit the context.

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