Present Perfect Practice Test — Advanced

All 45 questions with answers

Pick an answer for each question to see if you are right, with the explanation. Submit when you are done; you can submit before answering them all.

1. Q1The new safety protocols ___ by the management team just this morning.

   Ahad been implemented Bwas implemented Chave been implemented Dhave implemented

   Answer: C. have been implemented

   The adverb 'just' serves as a temporal marker of recent completion with present relevance, necessitating the present perfect aspect. Since 'protocols' receive the action, the passive voice 'have been implemented' is required. 'Was implemented' is incorrect because 'protocols' is plural and requires 'were', not 'was' — this is a subject-verb agreement error. 'Had been implemented' (past perfect) requires a prior past reference point not found in this sentence. 'Have implemented' is the active voice, which is semantically incorrect as the protocols cannot perform the implementation.

2. Q2The historic building ___ extensively since the earthquake occurred last year.

   Arestored Bhas been restored Chad been restored Dis restored

   Answer: B. has been restored

   The conjunction 'since' introduces a temporal boundary starting from a specific past point ('the earthquake') and continuing to the present, which triggers the present perfect aspect. The passive 'has been restored' correctly indicates the process or result concerning the building. 'Is restored' is a present state passive that ignores the durative process since the earthquake, and 'had been restored' is a past perfect form that incorrectly implies completion prior to another past event.

3. Q3The suspects ___ by the authorities, but no charges have been filed yet.

   Ahad questioned Bhave been questioned Cwas questioned Dare questioned

   Answer: B. have been questioned

   The present perfect passive 'have been questioned' is used for a completed action whose current status is relevant, as shown by the clause 'no charges have been filed yet'. 'Are questioned' denotes a habitual or generic action (simple present), which does not fit a specific investigation. 'Was questioned' fails due to subject-verb agreement (the subject 'suspects' is plural), and 'had questioned' is active voice and past perfect.

4. Q4The laboratory equipment ___ for contamination twice this week.

   Ais tested Bhad tested Chas been tested Dtested

   Answer: C. has been tested

   Incomplete time periods (e.g., 'this week') require the present perfect to show that the action has occurred and may yet be repeated within that span. 'Equipment' is an uncountable noun and requires a singular verb, making 'has been tested' the correct passive form. 'Is tested' would imply a general routine rather than specific instances this week. 'Had tested' is active and past perfect, while 'tested' is active past simple.

5. Q5___ the final reports ___ by the department head yet?

   AAre / approved BHad / been approved CHave / been approved DWere / approved

   Answer: C. Have / been approved

   The adverb 'yet' acts as a marker for the perfect aspect in questions and negatives, indicating an event expected in the period leading up to now. 'Have / been approved' provides the necessary present perfect passive structure. 'Are / approved' and 'Were / approved' are simple aspect passives (present and past) that do not collocate with 'yet' in this context. 'Had / been approved' is past perfect, requiring a secondary past reference point.

6. Q6Significant research ___ on the subject, yet no consensus has been reached.

   Ahad been conducted Bis conducted Chas been conducted Dconducted

   Answer: C. has been conducted

   The sentence describes an accumulation of effort leading to the present, making 'has been conducted' (present perfect passive) the most appropriate choice. This maintains aspectual parallelism with 'has been reached'. 'Is conducted' suggests a current habit or general truth, while 'conducted' is active past simple. 'Had been conducted' would suggest the research was finished before a past point that is not mentioned.

7. Q7The gates ___ every evening at 8 PM, so you must arrive before then.

   Ahas been locked Bwere locked Chad been locked Dare locked

   Answer: D. are locked

   The phrase 'every evening' denotes a habitual, recurring action, which is the primary function of the simple present tense. Therefore, the simple present passive 'are locked' is correct. 'Has been locked' (present perfect) would suggest a single completed action with present relevance, which contradicts the recurring nature of the 8 PM schedule. 'Were locked' refers to a past habit that no longer exists.

8. Q8Many lives ___ by the introduction of the new vaccine program.

   Aare saved Bsaved Chad been saved Dhave been saved

   Answer: D. have been saved

   The present perfect passive 'have been saved' emphasizes the current cumulative result of a program initiated in the past. 'Are saved' (simple present passive) describes a general state but lacks the essential link to the specific past initiating event. 'Had been saved' (past perfect) is incorrect because there is no past reference point for the saving to precede; the relevance is to the present.

9. Q9Which sentence is grammatically correct?

   AThe bridge is finished in 2012, improving local traffic. BThe bridge has finished in 2012, improving local traffic. CThe bridge had been finished in 2012, improving local traffic. DThe bridge was finished in 2012, improving local traffic.

   Answer: D. The bridge was finished in 2012, improving local traffic.

   The specific temporal adjunct (time phrase) 'in 2012' refers to a finished past period, which mandates the use of the past simple ('was finished'). The present perfect ('has finished') cannot be used with specific points in finished past time. 'Had been finished' is unnecessary without a relative past event, and 'is finished' creates a tense clash with 'in 2012'.

10. Q10Which sentence is grammatically correct?

    AThe emails had being sent to all department heads. BThe emails have been sent to all department heads. CThe emails were been sent to all department heads. DThe emails is been sent to all department heads.

    Answer: B. The emails have been sent to all department heads.

    The plural subject 'emails' requires the auxiliary 'have' for the present perfect. The passive construction is formed by 'have' + 'been' + past participle ('sent'). 'Is been sent' is ungrammatical; 'were been sent' incorrectly combines the past simple of 'be' with a past participle; 'had being sent' incorrectly uses the present participle 'being' instead of 'been'.

11. Q11Which sentence is grammatically correct?

    AThe cake has eaten. BThe cake has been eaten. CThe cake have been eaten. DThe cake was been eaten.

    Answer: B. The cake has been eaten.

    The subject 'cake' is singular, requiring the auxiliary 'has'. The present perfect passive 'has been eaten' is the standard construction. 'The cake has eaten' is active voice and implies the cake performed the action of eating. 'Was been eaten' is ungrammatical (mixing past simple and past participle), and 'have been eaten' fails subject-verb agreement.

12. Q12Which sentence is grammatically correct?

    AStudies have been published on this topic. BStudies had published on this topic. CStudies was been published on this topic. DStudies has been published on this topic.

    Answer: A. Studies have been published on this topic.

    The plural subject 'studies' requires the auxiliary 'have'. The passive voice is necessary because 'studies' are the object of the publishing act. 'Studies had published' is active voice and lacks a past anchor; 'was been published' is ungrammatical; 'has been published' is a subject-verb agreement error.

13. Q13The floor ___ just now, so please do not walk on it.

    Ahad been cleaned Bhas been cleaned Cis cleaned Dcleaned

    Answer: B. has been cleaned

    The adverbial 'just now' indicates an immediate past completion with direct impact on the present situation (the floor is still wet). This context requires the present perfect passive 'has been cleaned'. 'Is cleaned' describes a general state or habit, while 'cleaned' is active voice and past simple, lacking the specific focus on the present result.

14. Q14The project ___ twice this month due to unforeseen budget constraints.

    Ahas been postponed Bpostponed Chad postponed Dis postponed

    Answer: A. has been postponed

    The time expression 'this month' indicates an unfinished period, which usually requires the present perfect aspect to highlight frequency within that span. 'Has been postponed' (passive) is correct. 'Had postponed' is active and incorrectly implies a past perfect context; 'is postponed' is simple present and fails to capture the repeated past instances; 'postponed' is active past simple.

15. Q15The letters ___ by the postman yesterday morning.

    Aare delivered Bhave been delivered Cwere delivered Dhad been delivered

    Answer: C. were delivered

    The specific temporal adjunct 'yesterday morning' defines a finished past interval, requiring the past simple passive 'were delivered'. The present perfect 'have been delivered' is grammatically incompatible with definite past time markers. 'Are delivered' implies a current habit, and 'had been delivered' would require a subsequent past event as a reference point.

16. Q16I ___ Japan in 2015 for a business conference.

    Ahave been visiting Bvisited Chad visited Dhave visited

    Answer: B. visited

    The presence of a definite time marker ('in 2015') excludes the present perfect aspect. The past simple 'visited' is the correct choice for a completed event at a specific time. 'Have visited' is incorrect because the present perfect cannot be used with specific past dates. 'Had visited' is unnecessary as there is no other past action for it to precede.

17. Q17I ___ to Japan three times, and I love the culture.

    Avisited Bwas visiting Chad visited Dhave been

    Answer: D. have been

    This sentence denotes life experience (the 'experiential' present perfect), where the number of occurrences matters up to the present. The idiom 'have been to' is the standard way to describe completed visits. 'Visited' (past simple) usually requires a specific time marker, and 'had visited' is past perfect, which is inappropriate for a general statement of experience.

18. Q18She ___ her keys yesterday, which caused a significant delay.

    Ahas lost Bhad lost Cwas losing Dlost

    Answer: D. lost

    The temporal marker 'yesterday' specifies a completed past time, necessitating the simple past 'lost'. The present perfect 'has lost' is used for actions with present relevance but cannot be paired with a finished time period. 'Was losing' is past continuous and 'had lost' is past perfect; neither fits the narrative of a single completed event.

19. Q19She ___ her keys, so she cannot enter her apartment now.

    Ahas lost Blost Cis losing Dwas losing

    Answer: A. has lost

    The present perfect 'has lost' is used here because the past action has a direct, tangible result in the present (she is currently locked out). While the simple past 'lost' describes the event, the perfect aspect specifically emphasizes the current state of loss. 'Is losing' would imply the process of misplacing the keys is happening right now.

20. Q20We ___ here for ten years and have no plans to move.

    Ahave lived Bhad live Clived Dare living

    Answer: A. have lived

    The prepositional phrase 'for ten years' combined with the present-tense 'have no plans' indicates a state that began in the past and continues to the present. This requires the present perfect 'have lived'. 'Are living' focuses on the current moment but not the duration, while 'lived' (past simple) would imply the residency has ended.

21. Q21We ___ there for ten years, but we moved away last year.

    Ahas lived Bare living Clived Dhave lived

    Answer: C. lived

    The clause 'but we moved away last year' indicates that the ten-year duration is entirely in the past and no longer continues. Consequently, the simple past 'lived' is the correct aspect. The present perfect 'have lived' would incorrectly imply the residency still continues, and 'has lived' is a subject-verb agreement error with 'we'.

22. Q22I ___ such a beautiful sunset in my entire life.

    Ahave never seen Bnever have seen Cwas never seeing Dnever see

    Answer: A. have never seen

    The phrase 'in my entire life' establishes a time span from birth to the present, triggering the present perfect aspect. The adverb 'never' is standardly positioned between the auxiliary 'have' and the past participle 'seen'. 'Have never seen' is the canonical experiential form; 'was never seeing' and 'never see' do not express this completed life experience.

23. Q23Identify the error: 'I have seen him at the conference yesterday.'

    AI saw him at the conference yesterday. BI had saw him at the conference yesterday. CI have seen him at the conference tomorrow. DI have been seeing him at the conference yesterday.

    Answer: A. I saw him at the conference yesterday.

    The original sentence has a tense-aspect clash: the present perfect 'have seen' cannot be used with the definite past time 'yesterday'. Correcting this to the past simple 'I saw him' resolves the error. 'I had saw' is ungrammatical (past perfect uses 'seen'), and 'have been seeing' (progressive) still clashes with the past time marker.

24. Q24Identify the error: 'She has left school in 2020.'

    AShe left school in 2020. BShe has been left school in 2020. CShe is leaving school in 2020. DShe had left school in 2020.

    Answer: A. She left school in 2020.

    The specific year 'in 2020' defines a finished temporal frame, which precludes the present perfect. The past simple 'left' is required for historical facts. 'Has been left' is an incorrect passive construction, and 'had left' is the past perfect, which would require another past event to establish a 'past-in-the-past' relationship.

25. Q25Which sentence is contextually appropriate for a life experience?

    AHave you ever been to Paris? BHave you ever went to Paris? CDid you ever went to Paris? DWere you ever being to Paris?

    Answer: A. Have you ever been to Paris?

    Questions about life experience typically use the present perfect with 'ever'. 'Have you ever been to' is the standard idiom. 'Did you ever went' is ungrammatical (double past marking); 'Have you ever went' uses the past simple 'went' instead of the required past participle 'gone' or the suppletive form 'been'.

26. Q26Which sentence is grammatically correct?

    AI have been finishing it five minutes ago. BI have finish it five minutes ago. CI had finished it five minutes ago. DI finished it five minutes ago.

    Answer: D. I finished it five minutes ago.

    The adverb 'ago' is a marker that anchors an event at a specific point in the past, necessitating the simple past tense. The present perfect ('have finished') is universally incorrect with 'ago' in standard English. 'I had finished' is the past perfect and is only used relative to another past time marker, not 'ago' by itself.

27. Q27___ to Italy on business before?

    AWere you ever BHad you been CDid you ever went DHave you ever been

    Answer: D. Have you ever been

    The present perfect 'Have you ever been' is the correct form for indefinite past events or life experiences ('before') with present relevance. 'Had you been' is the past perfect, implying a time before a specific past event. 'Were you ever' is less standard for general experience, and 'Did you ever went' is a morphosyntactic error.

28. Q28I ___ Spanish when I was in high school.

    Ahad study Bhad studied Chave studied Dstudied

    Answer: D. studied

    The clause 'when I was in high school' establishes a completed past time frame, requiring the simple past 'studied'. The present perfect 'have studied' cannot be used for actions restricted to a finished past period. 'Had study' is ungrammatical, and 'had studied' is a past perfect that lacks a subsequent past event as a reference.

29. Q29I ___ Spanish since I was in high school.

    Astudied Bhad studied Chave studied Dwas studying

    Answer: C. have studied

    The conjunction 'since' indicates a duration that started in the past ('high school') and continues to the present. This durative aspect is expressed by the present perfect 'have studied'. 'Studied' (past simple) would imply the action is finished and no longer relevant, while 'was studying' focuses on a past progression.

30. Q30Which best describes the difference between 'He broke his leg' and 'He has broken his leg'?

    AThe second implies a present result. BThe second refers to a specific time. CThe first implies he is currently injured. DBoth are identical in meaning.

    Answer: A. The second implies a present result.

    The distinction is one of aspect: the simple past 'broke' focuses on the event as a historical fact, whereas the present perfect 'has broken' focuses on the current state (e.g., his leg is still broken now). The present perfect cannot refer to a specific past time, and the two forms are not interchangeable when present consequences are the focus.

31. Q31Once you ___ the form, you will be permitted to leave the room immediately.

    Aare submit Bhave submitted Cwill submit Dsubmits

    Answer: B. have submitted

    In temporal subordinate clauses (introduced by 'once', 'when', etc.), the present perfect is used to denote the future completion of an action that must happen before the main clause event. Future markers like 'will submit' are not used in these clauses. 'Have submitted' provides the necessary perfective aspect to show the action is a prerequisite.

32. Q32As soon as the sun ___ completely, we will begin the night hike.

    Awas setting Bis setting Chas set Dwill set

    Answer: C. has set

    The conjunction 'as soon as' introduces a future temporal condition. The present perfect 'has set' emphasizes that the action must be completed before the main clause ('we will begin') occurs. Standard English syntax avoids the future marker 'will' in subordinate temporal clauses, making 'will set' incorrect.

33. Q33If you ___ the report by noon, you will be free for the rest of the day.

    Awill finished Bare finishing Chave finished Dfinishes

    Answer: C. have finished

    In the the condition ('if' clause) (if-clause) of a first conditional, the present perfect ('have finished') is used to emphasize the completion of the condition before the result ('you will be free') happens. 'Will finished' is ungrammatical, and 'are finishing' suggests an ongoing process rather than a completed requirement.

34. Q34When you ___ your training, you will be eligible for promotion.

    Awill completed Bhave completed Care completing Dwill complete

    Answer: B. have completed

    In future-referring temporal clauses, the present perfect aspect ('have completed') highlights that eligibility is contingent upon the finalization of the training. 'Will complete' is incorrect because future 'will' is not used in 'when'-clauses. 'Are completing' refers to an ongoing action, not a finished state.

35. Q35After the guests ___, we can finally clean up the living room.

    Awill leave Bare leaving Cwill left Dhave left

    Answer: D. have left

    The present perfect 'have left' in the subordinate 'after' clause indicates a future action that must reach completion before the main action ('we can clean') begins. 'Are leaving' implies the process is still ongoing, which would prevent cleaning, and 'will leave' violates the rule against using 'will' in temporal subordinate clauses.

36. Q36Provided that you ___ the contract, we can proceed with the deal.

    Awill sign Bhave signed Csigned Dare signing

    Answer: B. have signed

    The conjunction 'provided that' introduces a condition. Using the present perfect 'have signed' emphasizes the necessity of the act being completed before proceeding. 'Are signing' denotes an ongoing action, and 'will sign' is inappropriate within this type of conditional subordinate clause.

37. Q37Identify the error: 'Once you will have finished, call me.'

    AOnce you will finish, call me. BOnce you have finished, call me. COnce you finished, call me. DOnce you had finished, call me.

    Answer: B. Once you have finished, call me.

    In 'once' clauses referring to the future, the present perfect ('have finished') is the standard way to express completion. Future-tense markers like 'will have' are not used in such subordinate temporal clauses. 'Had finished' is past perfect and 'finished' is past simple, neither of which expresses future completion.

38. Q38Identify the error: 'If you have bought the tickets, we go tonight.'

    AIf you buy the tickets, we went tonight. BIf you have bought the tickets, we will had gone tonight. CIf you had bought the tickets, we go tonight. DIf you have bought the tickets, we will go tonight.

    Answer: D. If you have bought the tickets, we will go tonight.

    The original sentence's main clause ('we go tonight') lacks the future-tense modal 'will' required for a first conditional structure. The correct form is 'we will go tonight'. The 'if' clause correctly uses the present perfect to describe a condition that may already be finished.

39. Q39Which sentence is grammatically correct?

    AWhen you have arrived, call me. BWhen you will have arrived, call me. CWhen you will arrive, call me. DWhen you had arrived, call me.

    Answer: A. When you have arrived, call me.

    In future-oriented temporal clauses, the present perfect ('have arrived') is used to express completion. Future-tense markers ('will arrive', 'will have arrived') are incorrect in 'when' clauses. 'Had arrived' is past perfect, which would be used only if the main clause were also in the past.

40. Q40Which sentence is grammatically correct?

    AIf he has arrived, he is been in the office. BIf he has arrived, he will be in the office. CIf he arrives, he has been in the office. DIf he will have arrived, he is in the office.

    Answer: B. If he has arrived, he will be in the office.

    This is a real conditional where the present perfect ('has arrived') refers to an event that may have already occurred, leading to a future result ('he will be'). 'Will have arrived' is incorrect in the 'if' clause. 'Is been' is always ungrammatical; the past participle 'been' can only follow the auxiliary 'have' to form perfect tenses (e.g., 'have been') — it cannot follow 'is' in any standard English construction.

41. Q41By the time you ___ this, I will be long gone.

    Ahave read Bare reading Cwould read Dwill read

    Answer: A. have read

    The 'by the time' clause describes a future point of completion, necessitating the present perfect aspect ('have read'). Standard English prohibits 'will' or 'would' in temporal subordinate clauses. 'Are reading' is progressive and does not emphasize the completion of the act in the same way the perfect does.

42. Q42Unless you ___ the evidence, you should not believe the rumors.

    Asaw Bare seeing Cwill see Dhave seen

    Answer: D. have seen

    The conjunction 'unless' introduces a negative condition. The present perfect 'have seen' emphasizes that the condition (witnessing evidence) must be completed before the consequence (believing rumors) is avoided. 'Will see' is incorrect in an 'unless' clause, and 'saw' (past simple) would imply a past context.

43. Q43Once the package ___, we will notify you immediately.

    Aarrived Bis arriving Cwill arrive Dhas arrived

    Answer: D. has arrived

    The 'once' clause functions as a future temporal marker. In such clauses, the present perfect ('has arrived') indicates that notification follows the completion of arrival. 'Will arrive' is incorrect in subordinate temporal clauses, and 'arrived' would shift the context to the past.

44. Q44If you ___ from me by tomorrow, assume the plan is cancelled.

    Ahave not heard Bdid not hear Care not hearing Ddoes not hear

    Answer: A. have not heard

    The present perfect 'have not heard' is used with 'by tomorrow' in a conditional clause to denote the non-completion of an action by a future deadline. 'Did not hear' is past simple and cannot refer to a future deadline, while 'does not hear' fails subject-verb agreement with 'you'.

45. Q45Which sentence is grammatically correct?

    AOnce you are being vaccinated, you will be safe. BOnce you will be vaccinated, you will be safe. COnce you will have been vaccinated, you will be safe. DOnce you have been vaccinated, you will be safe.

    Answer: D. Once you have been vaccinated, you will be safe.

    In the temporal subordinate 'once' clause, the present perfect passive 'have been vaccinated' expresses future completion. Future auxiliaries like 'will' are not used in these clauses. 'Are being vaccinated' is the present continuous passive, which implies the safety starts while the vaccination is currently in progress.