Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumVerbs, Tenses, and Aspect

During the safety audit, the chief inspector remarked that it is high time the aviation technical crew ________ the entire fleet's auxiliary power units. Which of the following verb forms correctly completes the sentence?

  1. A
    overhaul
  2. overhauledAnswer
  3. C
    should overhaul
  4. D
    have overhauled

Answer

The past tense form 'overhauled' correctly completes the sentence.
The expression 'it is high time' followed by a subject noun phrase requires the past subjunctive (simple past tense) form of the verb to convey that an action is overdue. Therefore, the simple past verb 'overhauled' correctly completes the clause.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the key grammatical trigger expression in the sentence stem.
The clause begins with the structure 'it is high time' followed by the subject 'the aviation technical crew'.
Structures like 'it is time', 'it is high time', and 'it is about time' establish an unreal past framing when followed by a subject.
2
Apply the grammatical rule governing 'it is high time + subject'.
The main verb following the subject must take the simple past tense form to indicate an action that ought to have been done already.
In standard English grammar, this construction expresses present or future urgency through the subjunctive/unreal past, requiring the past tense form of the verb.
3
Select the correct option matching the simple past form.
The option 'overhauled' is the simple past tense of 'overhaul'.
It fulfills the syntactic constraint of the 'it is high time' unreal past clause.

Key Concept

Unreal Past Tense after 'It is (high) time'
Rate this question

Topics

Verbs, Tenses, and Aspect

More questions from this topic