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.
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.