Grammar: Tenses — Class 11 MCQs with Answers
Class 11 CBSE English · Chapter 20
30 practice questions · 30 Medium · Updated
Practise the most important Class 11 CBSE English questions from Chapter 20, "Grammar: Tenses". You get 3 timed quizzes made from 30 NCERT-based MCQs, with answers and explanations. The questions are split into 30 Medium. Warm up on the basics, then move on to the exam-level questions that top scorers in CBSE Board exams get right.
To score well in "Grammar: Tenses", focus on comprehension, grammar and writing skills. Each MCQ here is timed and uses exam-style marking (+4 correct, −1 wrong, 0 skipped). This helps you stay accurate when time is short, just as real papers need. Every question has a short explanation, so a wrong answer becomes a quick lesson. It is the fastest way to fix gaps before a test.
Use this chapter for focused revision. Start with the Easy set to check your basics on Grammar: Tenses, then move to Medium to practise applying them. Your accuracy, streaks and XP save automatically. This chapter also adds to your overall Class 11 English mastery score. Try the 2 sample questions below: tap an option to see the answer and a worked explanation. Sign in free to start practising.
Grammar: Tenses — important questions & MCQs with answers (Class 11 English)
2 solved questions from this chapter's difficulty levels, each with its answer and explanation. Tap an option to check yourself.
- Q1Medium
Fill in the blank: By this time next year, she ____ her degree.
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Answer: will have completed
Explanation: An action that will be finished before a stated future time takes the future perfect.
- Q2Medium
Fill in the blank: The teacher said that the earth ____ round the sun.
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Answer: moves
Explanation: A universal truth in reported speech stays in the present, even after a past reporting verb.
Key concepts: Grammar: Tenses (Class 11 English)
Tenses appear in the Class 11 paper as gap filling within the 7-mark grammar section. Almost every question is decided by a time marker in the sentence, so the method is to find the marker first and let it choose the form.
- Simple present for facts and routines
- Universal truths and habitual actions: 'Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.' Also used for scheduled future events: 'The train leaves at 6 a.m. tomorrow.'
- Present continuous for now
- Actions in progress at the moment of speaking, usually signalled by 'look', 'listen' or 'at present': 'Look! The train is pulling into the station.'
- Present perfect with since and for
- An action beginning in the past and continuing now takes 'has/have + past participle': 'She has taught here since 2019.'
- Present perfect continuous for duration
- Emphasises how long an ongoing action has lasted: 'They have been waiting for three hours.' Use it whenever both duration and continuation matter.
- Stative verbs take no continuous
- Know, believe, own, seem, understand and belong have no -ing form in this sense. 'I have known him for ten years', never 'I am knowing him'.
- Simple past with finished time
- Any completed time expression — yesterday, last night, in 2019, ago — forces the simple past and rules out the present perfect.
- Past continuous for interrupted action
- The longer background action takes 'was/were + -ing' and the sudden action takes the simple past: 'While she was cooking dinner, the lights went out.'
- Past perfect for the earlier of two past events
- 'When I reached the station, the train had already left.' Whichever action happened first takes 'had + past participle'.
- Future perfect for a deadline
- An action finished before a stated future point: 'By this time next year, she will have completed her degree.'
- No 'will' in time and condition clauses
- After when, until, before, after, as soon as and if, use the simple present for future meaning: 'We shall discuss it when he comes.'
- Sequence of tenses in reported speech
- After a past reporting verb the tense shifts back — present to past, past to past perfect — except for universal truths, which never shift.
- Fixed patterns worth memorising
- 'Hardly/Scarcely… when', 'No sooner… than', 'I wish + past', 'It is high time + past', 'If I were you'. Each pairs a trigger with one required form.
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Start this chapter free →Grammar: Tenses — FAQs
What are the key concepts in Class 11 English Grammar: Tenses?+
Tenses appear in the Class 11 paper as gap filling within the 7-mark grammar section. Almost every question is decided by a time marker in the sentence, so the method is to find the marker first and let it choose the form. Key ideas include Simple present for facts and routines, Present continuous for now, Present perfect with since and for, Present perfect continuous for duration, Stative verbs take no continuous, Simple past with finished time.
What does Class 11 English Chapter 20 (Grammar: Tenses) cover on XamBaaz?+
It has 30 NCERT-based MCQs on "Grammar: Tenses": 30 Medium. Together they make 3 timed quizzes, and you never get the same set twice. Every question has an instant explanation. They help you prepare 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. One year from the day you pay. You stay in Class 11 till 31 March; on 1 April your account moves up to Class 12 and the rest of your year carries over. No chapter is charged separately.
How should I revise "Grammar: Tenses" for the exam?+
Start with the Easy quiz to check your basics, then try Medium to practise applying them. There are 3 timed quizzes on this chapter, so you can come back for a fresh set instead of one you have seen. Read each explanation, retry the questions you miss, and track your accuracy until it stays high.
Are these "Grammar: Tenses" MCQs available with answers?+
Yes. 2 sample questions are on this page with answers: tap an option, or "Show answer", to see the correct option and a step-by-step explanation. Sign in free with Google to start practising, with instant scoring.
Is there negative marking in the "Grammar: Tenses" quizzes?+
Yes. The timed quizzes use exam-style marking: +4 for a right answer, −1 for a wrong one and 0 for a skip. MHT-CET and CBSE board papers have no negative marking. Our mocks for those are scored their way.
What are the important questions from Grammar: Tenses (Class 11 English)?+
The questions that matter most test Simple present for facts and routines, Present continuous for now, Present perfect with since and for, Present perfect continuous for duration, Stative verbs take no continuous, Simple past with finished time. This page shows 2 solved important MCQs with answers and explanations. Sign in to practise all 30 questions on the chapter as timed quizzes.
Is there an online quiz for Grammar: Tenses?+
Yes — Class 11 English Grammar: Tenses has timed online quizzes at Medium levels, with instant scoring and a worked explanation on every question. The first quiz on the chapter is free.