CSS English chapter 1: Grammar · Verbs and tenses MCQs with answers

By Team Megalecture · Updated 4 Nov 2026

44 exam-style questions on Grammar · Verbs and tenses, each with the answer and a short explanation. Ten of them are below to try. The chapter test draws ten fresh questions each time and is marked the moment you finish, with your score by topic.

44 questions · 3 topics · 10 per test

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What chapter 1 covers

Ten Grammar · Verbs and tenses questions with answers

Try each one, then open the answer. These ten stay the same; the test draws new ones every time.

1. She ____ swim across the river when she was ten years old.

  1. A
    can
  2. B
    must
  3. C
    should
  4. D
    could
Show answer

Answer: D. Could expresses ability in the past; can refers to the present.

2. The furniture in the old rooms ____ been sold.

  1. A
    have
  2. B
    has
  3. C
    are
  4. D
    were
Show answer

Answer: B. Furniture is uncountable and takes a singular verb.

3. The conference ____ next Monday, so please confirm your seat in time.

  1. A
    began
  2. B
    has begun
  3. C
    had begun
  4. D
    begins
Show answer

Answer: D. A fixed timetable event in the future is normally expressed with the simple present, and next Monday rules out every past form.

4. You ____ obtain a visa before you travel; the rule is compulsory.

  1. A
    can
  2. B
    might
  3. C
    must
  4. D
    may
Show answer

Answer: C. Must expresses obligation. Can, might and may express permission or possibility, not a compulsory rule.

5. He ____ the guitar for three years now.

  1. A
    plays
  2. B
    is playing
  3. C
    played
  4. D
    has been playing
Show answer

Answer: D. For three years now links a period that began in the past with the present, so the present perfect continuous is the natural form.

6. I wish I ____ taller.

  1. A
    were
  2. B
    am
  3. C
    will be
  4. D
    would be
Show answer

Answer: A. After wish for an unreal present, were is used for all persons in standard formal English.

7. Choose the correct passive form of: Who wrote this novel?

  1. A
    By whom this novel was written?
  2. B
    By whom was this novel written?
  3. C
    By whom is this novel written?
  4. D
    Whom was this novel written?
Show answer

Answer: B. The question word is turned into by whom and the passive keeps the past tense with the auxiliary before the subject.

8. The cost of the repairs, together with the legal fees, ____ more than expected.

  1. A
    were
  2. B
    was
  3. C
    have been
  4. D
    are
Show answer

Answer: B. The subject is the singular cost. The phrase together with the legal fees does not change the number of the verb.

9. Choose the correct indirect speech: She asked me, "Where do you live?"

  1. A
    She asked me where did I live.
  2. B
    She asked me that where I lived.
  3. C
    She asked me where I lived.
  4. D
    She asked me where you lived.
Show answer

Answer: C. In reported questions the word order is that of a statement (no did), no that is added, and you becomes I.

10. Either the directors or the chairman ____ going to sign the agreement.

  1. A
    are
  2. B
    is
  3. C
    were
  4. D
    have been
Show answer

Answer: B. The verb agrees with the nearer subject, the singular chairman. The plural directors does not control the verb.

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Ways to practise this chapter

Grammar · Verbs and tenses: questions students ask

How many Grammar · Verbs and tenses MCQs are there?

44, each with the answer and a short explanation, across 3 topics: Tenses and sequence of tenses, Subject-verb agreement, Modals, voice, conditionals and narration. Every chapter test draws ten of them, so you can take it many times.

Is the CSS English chapter 1 test free?

Yes. The test, the answers and the explanations are free and need no sign-up. Sign in only if you want your scores kept across devices.

How is the chapter test marked?

The moment you press Finish: your score, the right answer and an explanation for every question, and the ones you got wrong saved in My mistakes to retry.

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