Choose the grammatically correct sentence from the given options:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → The book contains good aptitude based questions.
Stative verbs:
- A stative verb describes a state or a condition, not an action: contain, own, belong, know, consist.
- Stative verbs are normally not used in the continuous tenses (be + verb-ing).
- This sentence: "contain" states a fixed fact about what is in the book, so the simple present "contains" is correct.
Example: This bottle contains one litre of water.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: The book is containing good aptitude based questions. — Incorrect. "Is containing" puts the stative verb into the present continuous; the correct form is "contains".
Corrected: The book contains good aptitude based questions.
Option 2: The book was containing good aptitude based questions. — Incorrect. "Was containing" puts the stative verb into the past continuous; even for the past, the form would be "contained".
Corrected: The book contained good aptitude based questions.
Option 3: The book will be containing good aptitude based questions. — Incorrect. "Will be containing" puts the stative verb into the future continuous; the form would be "will contain".
Corrected: The book will contain good aptitude based questions.
Contrast: action verbs (read, write) can take be + -ing; stative verbs (contain, own, know) stay in the simple tenses.