Choose the correct option to fill in the blank in the given sentence:
Economist Deena Khatkhate, who________at the age of 92 on September 15 in Bethesda Maryland, in the US, was an unusual man.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → passed away
Simple past for a finished action at a stated past time:
- The simple past (passed away) is used for an action completed at a definite time in the past.
- Clue word: "on September 15" names a definite past date, and the main clause "was an unusual man" is in the past.
- The present perfect (has passed away) is not used with a definite past time such as "on September 15".
- Complete sentence: Economist Deena Khatkhate, who passed away at the age of 92 on September 15 in Bethesda Maryland, in the US, was an unusual man.
Example: My grandfather passed away last winter.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: will pass away — Incorrect. It is the simple future; the death has already taken place and the man is spoken of in the past ("was").
Option 3: shall passed away — Incorrect.
- A modal such as "shall" is followed by the base form (pass), never the past form "passed".
- Even "shall pass away" would be future, which does not fit a past event.
Option 4: has passed away — Incorrect. The present perfect cannot be used with a definite past time ("on September 15"); the simple past is needed.
Contrast: a stated past time (yesterday, on September 15) takes the simple past; no stated time, with the result felt now, takes the present perfect.