Question

The land reached the station, before the train:

• A. leaves
• B. will have left
• C. left
• D. is leaving

Hint:

When two past actions are connected by "before," use simple past for both actions or past perfect for the earlier action and simple past for the later action. Here, "reached" (simple past) is followed by "left" (simple past).

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

We need to select the correct tense to complete the sentence: "The land reached the station, before the train ________."

Step 1: Understand the sentence structure.
The sentence describes two past events:
- Event 1: The land reached the station
- Event 2: The train left (or will leave?)
The word "before" indicates the sequence of events. When one past action is completed before another past action, we use the past perfect tense for the earlier action and simple past for the later action.

Step 2: Apply the rule of past perfect tense.
The structure for such sentences is:
\[ \text{Past Perfect} + \text{before} + \text{Simple Past} \] or \[ \text{Simple Past} + \text{before} + \text{Past Perfect} \] Examples:
- "The train had left before I reached the station."
- "I reached the station before the train left."
In our sentence, the first part "The land reached the station" is in simple past tense. Therefore, the second part (the train's action) should be in simple past tense as well.

Step 3: Evaluate each option.
- (A) leaves — Present tense. Incorrect because the main clause is in past tense.
- (B) will have left — Future perfect tense. Incorrect as the context is past.
- (C) left — Simple past tense. Correct. It matches the tense of the main clause.
- (D) is leaving — Present continuous tense. Incorrect.

Step 4: Conclusion.
The correct option is "left" to maintain consistency in past tense.
Final Answer: (C) left