Question

Fill in the blanks with correct form of the verb :
I finished my home-work while my mother ___ the food.

• A. cooked
• B. was cooking
• C. had cooked
• D. cook

Hint:

When "while" connects two past actions, and one action was ongoing when the other happened, use:
Simple Past for the shorter, completed action.
Past Continuous (was/were + verb-ing) for the longer, ongoing action. Example: "The phone rang {while} I {was taking} a shower." Here: "I finished my homework" (completed) {while} "my mother was cooking" (ongoing).

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Concept: This question tests the use of appropriate verb tenses to describe actions happening concurrently in the past. The word "while" often indicates two actions occurring at the same time. Step 1: Analyze the first part of the sentence "I finished my home-work" - This is in the simple past tense, indicating a completed action in the past. Step 2: Understand the role of "while" "While" connects two actions that were happening simultaneously, or one action that was ongoing when another shorter action occurred or was completed. Step 3: Determine the tense for the second action The sentence implies that the mother's action of cooking was in progress when the speaker finished their homework.
Past Continuous Tense (was/were + verb-ing): This tense is used to describe an ongoing action in the past. "was cooking" indicates that the mother's cooking was an ongoing activity. If one action (finishing homework) happened {during} another longer, ongoing action (mother cooking), the past continuous tense is appropriate for the ongoing action. Step 4: Evaluating the options
(1) cooked (Simple Past): "I finished my home-work while my mother cooked the food." This could imply two sequential completed actions or two actions completed around the same time, but "was cooking" better emphasizes the ongoing nature of the mother's activity during which the homework was finished.
(2) was cooking (Past Continuous): "I finished my home-work while my mother was cooking the food." This clearly indicates that the mother's cooking was in progress for some duration, and during that period, the homework was completed. This is the most natural and grammatically fitting choice.
(3) had cooked (Past Perfect): "I finished my home-work while my mother had cooked the food." This implies the mother finished cooking {before} the speaker finished their homework, which contradicts the sense of "while" for simultaneous or overlapping actions here.
(4) cook (Simple Present): This is the wrong tense for a past event. The best fit is "was cooking" to show an ongoing action in the past interrupted or accompanied by another completed past action.