Choose the correct option to fill in the blank:
There are small muddy prints on the porch. A stray puppy ______ walked across it at night, or perhaps it was the neighbour’s cat.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → may have
Complete sentence: There are small muddy prints on the porch. A stray puppy may have walked across it at night, or perhaps it was the neighbour’s cat. “Or perhaps” shows that the speaker is only guessing.
| Option | Meaning and use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) must have | with the past participle (V3), a confident guess about the past, when we are almost sure | Someone must have spilled water, as the floor is wet. |
| (2) may have (answer) | may have + V3: something possibly happened, but we are not sure | Dinesh may have left his wallet at the tea stall, or perhaps on the bus. |
| (3) should have | with V3, the right thing was not done in the past | We should have booked the hall a month ago. |
| (4) needn’t have | with V3, something was done but was not necessary | You needn’t have paid for my ticket, as I had a pass. |