Want to test your preparation for govt job exams like SSC, UPSC, State PSC, banking, and railways? Try this English MCQ test for present tense and let’s see how many questions can you get. In many job exams, questions are asked from English tenses so practicing these following questions will give you an idea of the question pattern and how to spot error accurately. Let’s go.
Table of Contents
Spot the error test
1. She play tennis every weekend with her friends.
A) She
B) play
C) tennis
D) every weekend
Ans
Ans: B) play
Explanation: “play” should be “plays” to agree with the third-person singular subject “She” in the present simple tense.
2. They is going to the museum tomorrow afternoon.
A) They
B) is going
C) to the museum
D) tomorrow afternoon
Ans
Ans: B) is going
Explanation: “is going” should be replaced with “are going” to agree with the plural subject “They.”
3. My brother work as a doctor in the local hospital.
A) My brother
B) work
C) as a doctor
D) in the local hospital
Ans
Ans: B) work
Explanation: “work” should be “works” to agree with the third-person singular subject “My brother” in the present simple tense.
4. The cat sleep on the couch all day long.
A) The cat
B) sleep
C) on the couch
D) all day long
Ans
Ans: B) sleep
Explanation: “sleep” should be “sleeps” to agree with the third-person singular subject “The cat” in the present simple tense.
5. We doesn’t enjoy watching horror movies late at night.
A) We
B) doesn’t enjoy
C) watching horror movies
D) late at night
Ans
Ans: B) doesn’t enjoy
Explanation: “doesn’t enjoy” should be replaced with “don’t enjoy” to agree with the plural subject “We” in the present simple tense.
6. The sun rise in the east every morning.
A) The sun
B) rise C)
in the east
D) every morning
Ans
Ans: B) rise
Explanation: “rise” should be “rises” to agree with the third-person singular subject “The sun” in the present simple tense.
7. My parents travels to Europe twice a year.
A) My parents
B) travels
C) to Europe
D) twice a year
Ans
Ans: B) travels
Explanation: “travels” should be “travel” to agree with the plural subject “My parents.”
8. The children is playing in the park right now.
A) The children
B) is playing
C) in the park
D) right now
Ans
Ans: B) is playing
Explanation: “is playing” should be “are playing” to agree with the plural subject “The children.”
9. She don’t understand the new software at work.
A) She
B) don’t understand
C) the new software
D) at work
Ans
Ans: B) don’t understand
Explanation: “don’t understand” should be “doesn’t understand” to agree with the third-person singular subject “She.”
10. The movie start at 8 PM tonight.
A) The movie
B) start
C) at 8 PM
D) tonight
Ans
Ans: B) start
Explanation: “start” should be “starts” to agree with the third-person singular subject “The movie” in the present simple tense.
11. They enjoys reading books in their free time.
A) They
B) enjoys
C) reading books
D) in their free time
Ans
Ans: B) enjoys
Explanation: “enjoys” should be “enjoy” to agree with the plural subject “They.”
12. The dog bark loudly when strangers approach.
A) The dog
B) bark
C) loudly
D) when strangers approach
Ans
Ans: B) bark
Explanation: “bark” should be “barks” to agree with the third-person singular subject “The dog” in the present simple tense.
13. I has three classes on Mondays and Wednesdays.
A) I
B) has
C) three classes
D) on Mondays and Wednesdays
Ans
Ans: B) has
Explanation: “has” should be “have” to agree with the first-person singular subject “I.”
14. The flowers in the garden looks beautiful this spring.
A) The flowers
B) in the garden
C) looks
D) beautiful this spring
Ans
Ans: C) looks
Explanation: “looks” should be “look” to agree with the plural subject “The flowers.”
15. He always drink coffee before going to work.
A) He
B) always
C) drink
D) coffee before going to work
Ans
Ans: C) drink
Explanation: “drink” should be “drinks” to agree with the third-person singular subject “He” in the present simple tense.
16. Neither the students nor the teacher are able to solve this complex equation.
A) Neither
B) the students nor
C) the teacher are
D) able to solve
Ans
Ans: C) the teacher are
Explanation: When “neither…nor” is used, the verb agrees with the noun closer to it. Here, “teacher” is singular, so it should be “is” instead of “are.”
17. The committee, along with its chairperson, have decided to postpone the meeting.
A) The committee
B) along with its chairperson
C) have decided
D) to postpone
Ans
Ans: C) have decided
Explanation: The subject is “committee,” which is singular. Phrases like “along with” don’t change the subject. It should be “has decided” instead of “have decided.”
18. Every one of the paintings in the gallery require careful restoration.
A) Every one
B) of the paintings
C) in the gallery
D) require
Ans
Ans: D) require
Explanation: “Every one” is singular, so the verb should be singular. It should be “requires” instead of “require.”
19. The number of students enrolling in online courses are increasing each year.
A) The number
B) of students
C) enrolling in online courses
D) are increasing
Ans
Ans: D) are increasing
Explanation: “The number” is the subject, which is singular. It should be “is increasing” instead of “are increasing.”
20. Not only the actors but also the director was praised for the film’s success.
A) Not only
B) the actors but also
C) the director was
D) praised
Ans
Ans: C) the director was
Explanation: In “not only…but also” constructions, the verb agrees with the noun closest to it. Here, “director” is singular, but as it’s closer to the verb, it should be “were” instead of “was” to agree with the plural “actors.”
How to understand Present Tense
The present tense in English is a verb tense used to describe actions or states that are currently happening, habitual actions, or general truths. In Hindi, the present tense is known as “वर्तमान काल” (Vartamaan Kaal). Here are the four forms of present tense:
- Simple Present
- Used for habitual actions, general truths, and scheduled events
- Example: She plays tennis every weekend.
- Present Continuous (Progressive)
- Used for actions happening now or around now
- Example: They are studying for their exam.
- Present Perfect
- Used for actions completed in the past with relevance to the present
- Example: I have finished my homework.
- Present Perfect Continuous
- Used for ongoing actions that started in the past and continue to the present
- Example: She has been working here for five years.
How to Spot Errors
Spotting error for govt job exams can be tough. Here are some common question patterns to spot the errors accurately.
- Check Subject-Verb Agreement:
- Ensure the verb matches the subject (singular/plural) especially for collective nouns and indefinite pronouns
- Example error: The team are playing well. (Correct: The team is playing well.)
- Check for Proper Use of Auxiliaries:
- Auxiliaries are helping verbs – check for their correct forms (do/does, have/has)
- Example error: She don’t like coffee. (Correct: She doesn’t like coffee.)
- Correct Form of the Main Verb:
- Check for usage of the -ing form for continuous tenses
- Example error: He is go to school now. (Correct: He is going to school now.)
- Time Expressions:
- Ensure use of appropriate time markers
- Example error: I am living here since 2010. (Correct: I have been living here since 2010.)
