Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb.
My mother ________ dinner long before the guests arrived, so she sat down with them at once.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → had cooked
Past perfect for the earlier of two past actions:
When two actions happened in the past, the earlier one takes had + past participle (V3). Here the cooking was finished first. The guests arrived later. The clue words are "long before the guests arrived". Since the dinner was ready, she could sit with the guests at once.
Complete sentence: My mother had cooked dinner long before the guests arrived, so she sat down with them at once.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: has cooked — Incorrect. "Has cooked" is the present perfect. It links a past action to now. It does not fit with past verbs like "arrived" and "sat". Example: Look, Amma has cooked your favourite dal.
Option 2: was cooking — Incorrect. "Was cooking" shows an action still going on in the past. If she was still cooking, she could not sit down at once. Example: She was cooking when the phone rang.
Option 4: would cook — Incorrect. "Would cook" talks about a later or a usual action. It does not show a job finished before the guests came. Example: Every Sunday, Dadi would cook kheer for us.