Identify the sentence in which ‘would’ expresses a past habit:

The correct answer is Option (2) → As children, my cousins and I would gather on the terrace every evening of the summer holidays to play carrom.

Would for a past habit:

• Here would + base verb (the simple form of the verb, like go, eat) shows an action that happened again and again in the past.
• The clues are “As children” and “every evening”. They show a repeated action in the past.

Why the Other Options are Incorrect?

Option 1: If the shop were open, I would buy you a kulfi. — Incorrect. Here “would” shows an imagined result. It follows “If the shop were open”, which is not true now.

Option 3: Would you hand me that stapler, please? — Incorrect. Here “would” makes a polite request. The speaker asks someone for the stapler.

Option 4: Mother said that the plumber would come after lunch. — Incorrect. Here “would” is the past form of “will” after “said”. It shows a future action, the plumber’s visit.