Part II: The English language quiz you MUST take!

1. Sir, ___________ I come in?

a. could b. may c. would Correct! 'May' involves permission, while the other two reflect a possibility; and, in order to be polite one needs to seek permission.

2. I ______________ at home this evening

a. am eating b. will eat c. don't eat Correct! While 'will eat' shows a desire, 'am eating' reflects an action that one is currently engaging in and 'don't eat' shows a continued course of action. For example, I don't eat at home in the evenings

3. The hair on her head _________________ in a neat bun.

a. were tied b. was tied c. either of the above Correct! Hair here being plural, reflected by them being tied in a bun, will take the verb phrase 'were tied'; whereas, while referring to a single strand of hair one would use 'was'.

4. She ___________ better in the last exam, as against the one held in this semester.
a. had fared b. will fare c. has fared Correct! The tense required here is past perfect, as the action referred to is one that has occurred in the past.

5. I don't know why it didn't agree with her, as she ________________ this fruit since her
childhood. a. has been eating b. will be eating c. could have eaten Correct! Since it refers to an action which has been unfolding over a span of time, it would involve the perfect (have + en) coupled with the present continuous (be + ing), rather than 'will be eating', which reflects the future, and 'could have eaten', which reflects a complete action, from the past.

6. The basket of flowers _____________________ on the table

a. were lying b. was lying c. either of the two Correct! The verb phrase needs to agree with 'basket', which is the main word, and not 'flowers'; hence 'was' not 'were'.

7. _____________ you need anything, do let me know.

a. should b. may c. could Correct! 'Should' can be used to replace 'if' at times, as is the case here; whereas 'could' and 'may' both define possibilities.

8. He _______________________ soundly, when he fell off the bed.

a. might have been sleeping b. must have been sleeping c. either of the two

Correct! If one of the phrases were to be given preference over the other, it would need to be on the basis of how sure the person is about/well the person knows the character being referred to in the sentence. So both are correct depending upon the context in which you use them.

9. She will call you back, since currently she ____________ her dinner.
a. was having b. is having c. will be having Correct! Since the action is unfolding at the given moment.

10. You ________________ tomorrow, since you have a bad cold, will you?
a. won't come b. shouldn't come c. couldn't come Correct! Since a question tag has been added, one would use 'won't come', which reflects a doubt, rather than 'shouldn't come', which embodies an instruction and 'couldn't come', which is a verb phrase in the past tense.