Examkin

Question

Difficulty: HardVerbs, Tenses, and Aspect

The retiring vice-chancellor spoke of the university's modest beginnings as though he _______ present during its founding fifty years ago, whereas he only joined the institution last decade.

Which of the following verb forms correctly completes the sentence?

  1. A
    were
  2. B
    has been
  3. had beenAnswer
  4. D
    would have been

Answer

The past perfect subjunctive form 'had been' correctly completes the sentence.
The conjunction 'as though' requires a subjunctive verb form to indicate a counterfactual or unreal condition. Because the founding occurred in the distant past (fifty years ago relative to the past action of speaking), the past perfect subjunctive 'had been' is required to mark past unfulfilled aspect.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the matrix clause tense and the subordinate clause function.
The main verb 'spoke' sets a past tense time frame, while 'as though' introduces a hypothetical (unreal) situation.
Expressions like 'as if' and 'as though' require subjunctive mood verb forms to indicate counterfactual conditions.
2
Determine the time reference of the hypothetical situation relative to the main verb.
The founding occurred fifty years ago (prior to the time of speaking), making it an unreal condition in the past.
An unreal condition referring to past time requires the past perfect subjunctive ('had + past participle').
3
Evaluate the choices based on tense and aspect rules.
The verb form 'had been' properly reflects the past perfect aspect demanded by an unfulfilled past hypothesis.
The simple past subjunctive ('were') is reserved for present unreal scenarios, whereas 'had been' shifts back to account for prior past time.

Key Concept

Unreal Past and Subjunctive Aspect after 'as if / as though'
Estimated Time:1m 30s
Rate this question

Topics

Verbs, Tenses, and Aspect

More questions from this topic