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Question

Difficulty: MediumVerbs, Tenses, and Aspect

Read the sentence below:

"By the time the municipal power authority restored electricity to the industrial zone, the factory workers ______ the manual assembly lines for over four hours."

Which of the following verb forms correctly completes the sentence?

  1. had been operatingAnswer
  2. B
    have been operating
  3. C
    were operating
  4. D
    are operating

Answer

The correct verb form is 'had been operating'.
The verb phrase 'had been operating' correctly uses the past perfect continuous tense to show an action that started in the past, continued over a specified duration ('for over four hours'), and existed prior to another past event ('restored').

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the primary past reference point in the context clause.
The action of restoring power is expressed in the simple past tense ('restored').
This establishes a past timeframe for the entire sequence.
2
Determine the temporal relationship and aspect of the target verb.
The workers' activity began prior to the restoration of power and continued over a stated period ('for over four hours').
An ongoing action preceding another past event requires the past perfect continuous aspect.
3
Select the verb structure that expresses past perfect continuous aspect.
'had been operating' correctly combines the past auxiliary ('had'), aspect marker ('been'), and present participle ('operating').
It fulfills all grammatical requirements for tense sequence and aspectual duration.

Key Concept

Past Perfect Continuous Aspect in Tense Sequence
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Topics

Verbs, Tenses, and Aspect

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