Question

Lloyd watched nervously until the climber, a daredevil named Bill Strother, made it to safety. A. No Change B. had watched C. watches D. has watched

Answer 1

The sentence is correctly in the simple past tense, indicating an action completed in the past. Therefore, option A (No Change) is the right answer.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct choice, "No Change," aptly maintains the sentence's simple past tense, effectively conveying the action of Lloyd nervously watching until the climber, Bill Strother, safely completed the climb. The simple past tense is appropriate here as it precisely denotes an action that occurred and concluded in the past. The alternatives offered, such as "had watched" (past perfect tense), "watches" (present simple tense), and "has watched" (present perfect tense), introduce temporal nuances that diverge from the intended meaning.

The past perfect tense, "had watched," implies a completed action before another past event, which is unnecessary in this context since the sequence of events is clear without it. On the other hand, the present simple tense, "watches," and present perfect tense, "has watched," are unsuitable as they suggest ongoing or recently completed actions, disrupting the chronological flow of the narrative.

In essence, the original sentence effectively captures the past action of Lloyd watching nervously, ensuring clarity and conciseness in conveying the sequence of events. The use of the simple past tense aligns seamlessly with the narrative's temporal structure, making "No Change" the grammatically appropriate choice.

Learn more about Simple Past Tense