Complete the cloze passage by filling in the blanks with the most appropriate words.
It was a rainy evening when Rohan ____ A __ a crowded city bus. He had just finished his tuition classes and was eager to reach home. As he searched for his ticket, he __ B __ realized his wallet was missing. His heart began to race. Had he dropped it, or had someone stolen it? 'Don't panic, think carefully,' he told himself. He remembered using the wallet __ C __ a small tea stall near the bus stop. Could it still be there? What if someone else had already picked it up? When the bus stopped at the next signal, Rohan quickly got down. 'Please hurry, I must go back!' he whispered under his breath. He ran in the rain, splashing through puddles, his mind full of fear and hope.
To his surprise, the tea vendor smiled and said, 'Young man, you left this behind.' He held out the wet but safe wallet. What a __ D __ (relief) it was! Rohan almost shouted with joy. He thanked the vendor again and again.
This small __ E ____ (incident) taught Rohan a big lesson. He realized that not everyone in the world is dishonest, and kindness often appears when least expected. As he walked home in the rain, he thought, 'I will never be careless with my belongings again!'
Fill in the blank (A) with the correct verb form.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
Correct Answer
boarded
Explanation
The passage is narrated in the simple past tense, as seen in phrases such as “had just finished,” “was eager,” and “searched.” Therefore, the correct verb form is “boarded”: “It was a rainy evening when Rohan boarded a crowded city bus.”
The other options are incorrect. Option 1 (“board”) is the base form. Option 3 (“boards”) is in the simple present tense. Option 4 (“has boarded”) is in the present perfect tense. None of these match the tense of the passage.
Key Points
When completing a cloze passage, maintain tense consistency. Since the narrative is in the simple past tense, the appropriate verb form is “boarded.”