Extract:
Select the phrase that will make the following sentence grammatically correct.
When the lecture was over, two students ___________.
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A
raise their hands to ask questions
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B
raised their hands to ask questions
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C
have raised their hands to ask questions
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D
are raising their hands to ask questions
The phrase "raised their hands to ask questions" makes the sentence grammatically correct by providing simple past tense matching the past time marker "when the lecture was over."
A) raise their hands to ask questions
Present tense "raise" conflicts with past context established by "when the lecture was over." Verb tense must maintain consistency within temporal frameworks.
B) raised their hands to ask questions
Simple past "raised" correctly matches the past time context. After a completed past event ("lecture was over"), subsequent actions also take simple past tense for sequential narration.
C) have raised their hands to ask questions
Present perfect "have raised" connects past action to present relevance, temporally inappropriate when both events occurred entirely in the past with no present connection implied.
D) are raising their hands to ask questions
Present continuous "are raising" describes ongoing present action, temporally incompatible with completed past context established by "lecture was over."
Conclusion
Verb tense must maintain temporal consistency within narrative sequences. Past time markers like "when the lecture was over" require simple past tense for subsequent actions, making "raised" the only temporally appropriate verb form.