Choose the correct pair from the given options to fill in the blanks.
While she ___________ the answer sheets, she found that one paper _________ from the room.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → was evaluating, had disappeared
Past continuous and past perfect together:
- Past continuous (was/were + -ing) shows an action in progress at a past time. "While" usually introduces such an action.
- Past perfect (had + past participle) shows an action completed before another past action.
- Clue word: "while". This sentence:
- She was in the middle of checking the answer sheets: was evaluating.
- The paper went missing before she found out: had disappeared.
- Complete sentence: While she was evaluating the answer sheets, she found that one paper had disappeared from the room.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: had evaluated, disappeared — Incorrect.
- "While" needs an action in progress. "Had evaluated" is a finished action.
- "Disappeared" does not show that the paper went missing before she found out.
Option 3: evaluated, disappeared — Incorrect. The simple past in both blanks shows neither the action in progress nor which event came first.
Option 4: had been evaluating, disappeared — Incorrect. "Disappeared" in the simple past does not place the disappearance before her discovery. The earlier action needs the past perfect.