SSC Stenographer 2026 PYQ — Question 162

SSC Stenographer - 11 Sep 2026 - Shift 1 • English • Q162

Select the grammatically correct option to substitute the underlined segment in the given sentence. If there is no need to substitute it, select 'No improvement'.
Having practised all week, she tells the story confidently at the competition yesterday.

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A

Explanation

Correct Answer: told the story confidently
Explanation
• The sentence contains the past time expression yesterday, which indicates an action that was completed at a specific time in the past.
• Clauses with definite past time markers (such as yesterday, ago, last week) require the Simple Past Tense (V2), not the present tense.
• Therefore, the present tense verb tells must be replaced with the past tense verb told.
Quick Tip: Whenever a specific past time reference like yesterday or last year is used, always use the simple past tense (V2).