Choose the correct sentence.

Hardly had she entered when the bell rang.

Hardly has she entered when the bell rang.

Hardly she had entered when the bell rang.

Hardly did she entered when the bell rang.

Choose the sentence with correct sequence of tenses throughout.

He told me that he had finished the work before the deadline arrived.

He told me that he has finished the work before the deadline arrives.

He tells me that he had finished the work before the deadline arrived.

He told me that he finishes the work before the deadline had arrived.

Choose the correct transformation of: 'I have not seen him since Monday.'

It is a long time since I saw him.

It has been a long time since I have seen him last.

It is a long time since I have seen him.

It was a long time since I see him.

📚

Class 10 CBSE English — Chapter 21: Grammar: Tenses MCQs with Answers

60 practice questions · 20 Easy · 20 Medium · 20 Hard

Practise the most important Class 10 CBSE English questions from Chapter 21, "Grammar: Tenses" — 60 NCERT-aligned multiple-choice questions with answers and explanations. The set is split into 20 Easy, 20 Medium and 20 Hard, so you can warm up on the fundamentals and then push into the exam-level problems that separate top scorers in CBSE Board exams.

"Grammar: Tenses" is one of the chapters where comprehension, grammar and writing-skill questions really pays off. Each MCQ on this chapter is timed and uses exam-grade marking (+4 correct, −1 wrong, 0 skipped), training the accuracy-under-pressure that real papers demand. Every question carries a short explanation, so a wrong answer becomes a quick lesson rather than a dead end — the fastest way to close gaps before a test.

Use this chapter as targeted revision: attempt the Easy set first to confirm your basics on Grammar: Tenses, then move to Medium and Hard to test application and problem-solving. Your accuracy, streaks and XP save automatically, and the chapter feeds into your overall Class 10 English mastery score. 12 sample questions are solved in full below — answer and worked explanation — and signing in free opens all 60.

Class 10 English Grammar: Tenses MCQs with answers

12 solved questions across the difficulty levels this chapter is graded on — answer and explanation shown for each. The remaining 48 are timed and scored when you sign in.

Q1Easy
Fill in the blank: 'The Earth ___ around the Sun once every year.'
A.revolves✓ Correct
B.is revolving
C.revolved
D.has revolved
Answer: A. revolves
Explanation: A universal truth is expressed in the simple present.
Q2Easy
Fill in the blank: 'Listen! The neighbours ___ that song again.'
A.played
B.have played
C.are playing✓ Correct
D.play
Answer: C. are playing
Explanation: 'Listen!' signals an action happening at this moment, which needs the present continuous.
Q3Easy
Fill in the blank: 'She ___ her homework before the guests arrived.'
A.finishes
B.had finished✓ Correct
C.finished
D.has finished
Answer: B. had finished
Explanation: The earlier of two past actions takes the past perfect.
Q4Easy
Fill in the blank: 'We ___ to Shimla last December for a family wedding.'
A.have gone
B.had gone
C.go
D.went✓ Correct
Answer: D. went
Explanation: A finished action with a stated past time takes the simple past.
Q5Easy
Fill in the blank: 'The train ___ at platform three at 6:15 tomorrow morning.'
A.will be arrive
B.arrived
C.arrives✓ Correct
D.is arriving to
Answer: C. arrives
Explanation: A scheduled event in the near future is expressed in the simple present.
Q6Medium
Identify the error: 'He said that he will come to the meeting tomorrow.'
A.will should be would✓ Correct
B.said should be says
C.that should be omitted
D.come should be came
Answer: A. will should be would
Explanation: After a past reporting verb the following clause shifts into the past form.
Q7Medium
Identify the error: 'She is knowing the answer but refuses to say it aloud.'
A.to say should be saying
B.aloud should be loudly
C.is knowing should be knows✓ Correct
D.refuses should be refuse
Answer: C. is knowing should be knows
Explanation: Stative verbs such as 'know' are not normally used in a continuous form.
Q8Medium
Choose the correct sentence.
A.Hardly has she entered when the bell rang.
B.Hardly had she entered when the bell rang.✓ Correct
C.Hardly she had entered when the bell rang.
D.Hardly did she entered when the bell rang.
Answer: B. Hardly had she entered when the bell rang.
Explanation: 'Hardly' at the start inverts the subject and auxiliary and pairs with the past perfect.
Q9Medium
Fill in the blank: 'It ___ heavily for the past three hours.'
A.is raining
B.rains
C.rained
D.has been raining✓ Correct
Answer: D. has been raining
Explanation: An action continuing from the past into now takes the present perfect continuous.
Q10Hard
Choose the sentence with correct sequence of tenses throughout.
A.He told me that he had finished the work before the deadline arrived.✓ Correct
B.He told me that he has finished the work before the deadline arrives.
C.He tells me that he had finished the work before the deadline arrived.
D.He told me that he finishes the work before the deadline had arrived.
Answer: A. He told me that he had finished the work before the deadline arrived.
Explanation: A past reporting verb shifts the reported clause back, and the earliest action takes the past perfect.
Q11Hard
Fill in the blank: 'Hardly ___ the door when the alarm went off.'
A.did he opened
B.has he opened
C.had he opened✓ Correct
D.he had opened
Answer: C. had he opened
Explanation: 'Hardly' at the front of a sentence forces inversion of the auxiliary and subject.
Q12Hard
Choose the correct transformation of: 'I have not seen him since Monday.'
A.It has been a long time since I have seen him last.
B.It is a long time since I saw him.✓ Correct
C.It is a long time since I have seen him.
D.It was a long time since I see him.
Answer: B. It is a long time since I saw him.
Explanation: The 'It is ... since' pattern takes the simple past in the clause that follows it.

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Grammar: Tenses — FAQs

What does Class 10 English Chapter 21 (Grammar: Tenses) cover on XamBaaz?+

It covers 60 NCERT-aligned MCQs on "Grammar: Tenses" — 20 Easy, 20 Medium and 20 Hard — each with a timed quiz and an instant explanation, suitable for CBSE Board exams.

Are these "Grammar: Tenses" questions free to practise?+

Yes — sign in with Google to practise "Grammar: Tenses" free. Full unlimited access is ₹999/year (limited-time launch price), with no per-chapter charges.

How should I revise "Grammar: Tenses" for the exam?+

Start with the Easy quiz to confirm your fundamentals, then attempt Medium and Hard for application-level practice. Review each explanation, retry the questions you miss, and track your accuracy on this chapter until it is consistently high.

Are these "Grammar: Tenses" MCQs available with answers?+

Yes. 12 sample questions are shown here in full, each with the correct option and a step-by-step "Why" explanation. Sign in free with Google to practise all 60 questions with instant scoring.

Is there negative marking in the "Grammar: Tenses" quizzes?+

Yes — the timed quizzes use exam-grade marking: +4 for a correct answer, −1 for a wrong one and 0 for a skipped question. Note that MHT-CET and the CBSE board papers themselves carry no negative marking — our mocks for those are scored their way, not this way.

Are these important questions for Grammar: Tenses?+

The set is curated to the NCERT syllabus and weighted toward the question patterns that actually appear in CBSE Board exams, across Easy, Medium and Hard — so it doubles as an "important questions" revision list for "Grammar: Tenses".

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