Choose the most appropriate option to fill in the blank.
The fusion band from Assam____since 9 o'clock in the morning.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → has been playing
Present perfect continuous tense:
- The present perfect continuous (has/have + been + -ing) shows an action that began in the past and is still going on.
- Clue word: "since 9 o'clock" gives the starting point of an action that continues up to now.
- Subject: "The fusion band" is a single group, so it takes the singular "has" ("from Assam" does not change the subject).
- Two-step check: 1. tense: "since" needs the present perfect continuous (has/have been playing). 2. agreement: the singular "band" takes "has". Only Option 1 passes both.
- Complete sentence: The fusion band from Assam has been playing since 9 o'clock in the morning.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: have been playing — Incorrect. The tense is right, but "have" is plural. The subject "band" is treated as one unit here.
Option 3: is playing — Incorrect. The present continuous shows an action happening now. It is not used with "since" to show how long an action has gone on.
Option 4: has played — Incorrect. The present perfect shows a completed action or result. For an activity still going on from a point of time, the continuous form "has been playing" is needed.
Contrast: an action going on since a point of time takes "has been playing". "Has played" shows a completed action, and "is playing" only what is happening now.