Simple Past Tense Quiz

Reviewed by Juliette Firla
Juliette Firla, MA (Teaching Writing) |
English Teacher
Review Board Member
Juliette is a middle school English teacher at Sacred Heart of Greenwich, Connecticut. Juliette earned a BA in English/Language Arts Teacher Education from Elon University and an MA in Teaching Writing from Johns Hopkins University. She holds a Classroom Teacher license from the Connecticut State Department of Education. Juliette possesses strong skills in English language arts, writing, editing, and literature study. She has a deep passion for working with young people and contributing to the education of America's youth in the classroom.
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    What is the appropriate simple past tense for: "My mother .......................... these clothes last week"?

    • Buy
    • Buys
    • Buying
    • Bought
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About This Quiz

The Simple Past Tense Quiz is designed to test your understanding and usage of the simple past tense in English grammar. The simple past tense is used to describe actions that were completed in the past, often with a specific time reference. In this quiz, you will answer questions that assess your ability to correctly identify and use the simple past tense in various sentences.

This simple past tense quiz with answers is suitable for learners at various levels and aims to build a strong foundation in grammar skills. Make sure to read each question carefully, select the best answer, and check your progress to understand how well you have grasped the use of the simple past tense.

Simple Past Tense Quiz - Quiz

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  • 2. 

    What is the appropriate simple past tense for: "Sarah .......................... me the story about a cruel king of Arabia last week"?

    • Tell

    • Tells

    • Told

    • Telling

    Correct Answer
    A. Told
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "told." In this sentence, the action of telling a story occurred in the past, specifically "last week." The verb "tell" must therefore be conjugated into its simple past form to align with this past-time reference. The simple past tense is used to describe actions that were completed at a definite time in the past, and it does not matter whether the precise time is mentioned or not.

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  • 3. 

     What is the appropriate simple past tense for: "I ......................... to Sophia's school last month"?

    • Go

    • Went

    • Goes

    • Going

    Correct Answer
    A. Went
    Explanation
    The correct form is "went" because the sentence refers to an action that took place in the past ("last month"). "Went" is the past tense of "go." The sentence would be: "I went to Sophia's school last month." The other options are incorrect because they do not match the past tense required in this context.

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  • 4. 

    What is the appropriate simple past tense for: "My father ..................... my bicycle yesterday"?

    • Repaired

    • Repairs

    • Repair

    • Repairing

    Correct Answer
    A. Repaired
    Explanation
    The sentence is talking about an action that happened in the past—specifically, yesterday. When expressing actions in the past, we use past tense verbs. In this case, the action is "repairing," and the past tense of "repair" is "repaired." Therefore, the correct form to complete the sentence is "My father repaired my bicycle yesterday." The word "repaired" indicates that the action is completed and happened in the past.

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  • 5. 

    What is the appropriate simple past tense for: "Jane and Marrie ............................. Snakes and Ladders at Nana's house yesterday"?

    • Plays

    • Playing

    • Played

    • Play

    Correct Answer
    A. Played
    Explanation
    The verb "play" needs to be in the past tense to indicate that the action occurred yesterday. In English, the past tense form of "play" is "played." Therefore, the correct sentence is "Jane and Marrie played Snakes and Ladders at Nana's house yesterday." This ensures grammatical accuracy and effectively conveys the timing of the activity in the past.

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  • 6. 

    What is the appropriate simple past tense for: "Mr. Smith ..................... those materials in the previous meeting"?

    • Explains

    • Explained

    • Explaining

    • Explain

    Correct Answer
    A. Explained
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "explained," which is the simple past tense of the verb "explain." The sentence refers to an event that took place in the past, specifically during "the previous meeting." Since the action is completed and the sentence refers to a specific past time, we need to use the past tense of the verb. The other options are incorrect: "explains" is the present tense, "explain" is the base form, and "explaining" is present continuous, which do not fit with the requirement for past tense.

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  • 7. 

    What is the appropriate simple past tense for: "My aunt ................................ my family last month"?

    • Visits

    • Visited

    • Visit

    • Visiting

    Correct Answer
    A. Visited
    Explanation
    The simple past tense is used to describe actions that happened in the past and have already finished. The simple past tense of "visit" is "visited." The sentence describes an action that happened last month and has already finished, so the appropriate tense is the simple past tense.

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  • 8. 

    What is the appropriate simple past tense for: "The boy ......................... me a present two days ago"?

    • Give

    • Gives

    • Gave

    • Giving

    Correct Answer
    A. Gave
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "gave," which is the simple past tense form of the verb "give." The sentence refers to an event that occurred in the past, specifically two days ago. To indicate this past action, we use the past tense form of "give," which is "gave." The other options are incorrect because they do not match the required past tense: "give" is the base form, "gives" is present tense, and "giving" is present continuous, neither of which correctly convey the idea of a past event.

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  • 9. 

    What is the appropriate simple past tense for: "The students ................. their flag ceremony yesterday"?

    • Have

    • Had

    • Having

    • Has

    Correct Answer
    A. Had
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "had." This sentence describes an action that was completed in the past, specifically "yesterday." Therefore, the verb "have" must be converted into its simple past form, "had," to reflect the past action correctly. The simple past tense "had" is essential here to indicate that the event—the flag ceremony—occurred and was completed on the previous day.

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  • 10. 

    What is the appropriate simple past tense for: "My father .......................... very busy yesterday"?

    • Is

    • Was

    • Were

    • Be

    Correct Answer
    A. Was
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "was." In this context, the sentence is structured to communicate a state or condition (being busy) that was true at a specific time in the past (yesterday). The verb "be" must accordingly be conjugated into "was" for singular subjects in the past tense. "Was" is the past form of "is" (present tense), suitable for first and third-person singular subjects like "My father" in this instance.

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Juliette Firla |MA (Teaching Writing) |
English Teacher
Juliette is a middle school English teacher at Sacred Heart of Greenwich, Connecticut. Juliette earned a BA in English/Language Arts Teacher Education from Elon University and an MA in Teaching Writing from Johns Hopkins University. She holds a Classroom Teacher license from the Connecticut State Department of Education. Juliette possesses strong skills in English language arts, writing, editing, and literature study. She has a deep passion for working with young people and contributing to the education of America's youth in the classroom.

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  • Nov 12, 2024
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