Choose the correct verb form to fill in the blank:
Kabir describes the Kedarkantha trek as if he ______ it himself, but he has never left Delhi.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → had climbed
“As if” for something untrue in the past:
- When “as if” or “as though” talks about a past action that did not really happen, it takes had + past participle (V3).
- Clue word: “but he has never left Delhi”.
- Kabir never did the trek, so the “as if” part is untrue and goes one step back, to “had climbed”.
- Complete sentence: Kabir describes the Kedarkantha trek as if he had climbed it himself, but he has never left Delhi.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: has climbed — Incorrect.
- “Has climbed” is the present perfect.
- After “as if” it presents the climb as real, but the sentence says it never happened.
- Example: Papa has climbed Kedarkantha twice.
Option 3: climbs — Incorrect.
- “Climbs” is the simple present.
- It shows a habit or fact now, not an untrue past action.
- Example: The monkey climbs the mango tree every afternoon.
Option 4: would climb — Incorrect.
- “Would climb” is would + base form.
- It shows an imagined result or a past habit, not an untrue past action after “as if”.
- Example: As a boy, Dadu would climb the guava tree after school.