Simple Past Practice Test — Basic

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. Q1He ___ to the park yesterday.

   Awalks Bhas walked Cwere walk Dwalked

   Answer: D. walked

   We use 'walked' because the action happened and finished at a specific time in the past (yesterday). For regular verbs, we usually add -ed.

2. Q2She ___ a movie last night.

   Awatched Bwatches Chas watched Dbe watching

   Answer: A. watched

   To talk about a finished action like 'last night', we use the past form. For regular verbs like 'watch', we add -ed to make 'watched'.

3. Q3They ___ soccer on Saturday.

   Aare playinged Bplayed Chave played Dplays

   Answer: B. played

   The action happened on Saturday, which is in the past. We add -ed to 'play' to get 'played'.

4. Q4I ___ dinner for my family yesterday evening.

   Acooked Bcooks Cwere cookinged Dhave cooked

   Answer: A. cooked

   'Yesterday evening' is a finished time. We use the past form 'cooked' by adding -ed to the verb.

5. Q5We ___ for the exam all afternoon yesterday.

   Astudies Bstudied Cwas study Dhave studied

   Answer: B. studied

   When a verb ends in a consonant and 'y' (like study), we change the 'y' to 'i' and then add -ed. So, 'study' becomes 'studied'. 'Yesterday' anchors the action firmly in the past, ruling out the present perfect 'have studied'.

6. Q6She ___ to call me yesterday.

   Atries Btried Care try Dhas tried

   Answer: B. tried

   The verb 'try' ends in a consonant + 'y'. To make it past tense, we change the 'y' to 'i' and add -ed to get 'tried'.

7. Q7He ___ at the red light on his way home last night.

   Ahas stopped Bstops Cstopped Dbe stopping

   Answer: C. stopped

   For short verbs ending in one vowel and one consonant (like stop), we double the last letter before adding -ed. This gives us 'stopped'. 'Last night' anchors the action in the past, ruling out the present simple 'stops' and the present perfect 'has stopped'.

8. Q8They ___ a trip last year.

   Aplanned Bplans Chave planned Dare plan

   Answer: A. planned

   The verb 'plan' has one short vowel and ends in one consonant. We double the 'n' before adding -ed, making it 'planned'.

9. Q9I ___ to Paris in 2019.

   Ahave traveled Btravelled Ctravels Dbe traveled

   Answer: B. travelled

   The year 2019 is in the past. In British English, we double the 'l' in 'travel' to make 'travelled'. (In American English, 'traveled' is also correct).

10. Q10She ___ the surprise party last night.

    Awas loving Bhas loved Cloves Dloved

    Answer: D. loved

    When a verb ends in 'e' (like love), we only need to add 'd' to make it past tense: 'loved'. 'Last night' is a finished past time, so neither the present simple 'loves' nor the present perfect 'has loved' is correct here.

11. Q11He ___ the gift I gave him at his party last year.

    Awas liking Bliked Clikes Dhas liked

    Answer: B. liked

    The verb 'like' ends in 'e', so we just add 'd' to make the past form 'liked'. 'Last year' is a finished past time, so the present simple 'likes' and present perfect 'has liked' are both incorrect.

12. Q12We ___ all night at the wedding.

    Ahave danced Bdanced Cdid danceing Ddances

    Answer: B. danced

    The verb 'dance' ends in 'e'. We add 'd' to make the past form 'danced'.

13. Q13They ___ their house last weekend.

    Acleaned Bhave cleaned Ccleans Dbe clean

    Answer: A. cleaned

    For regular verbs like 'clean', we add -ed to the end to talk about a finished time like 'last weekend'.

14. Q14I ___ my grandmother last month.

    Avisits Bvisited Care visitinged Dhave visited

    Answer: B. visited

    We add -ed to the verb 'visit' to show that the action happened in the past (last month).

15. Q15She ___ late yesterday.

    Aare work Bworks Cworked Dhas worked

    Answer: C. worked

    'Yesterday' shows the action is finished. We add -ed to 'work' to get the past form 'worked'.

16. Q16I ___ to the cinema yesterday.

    Ago Bwent Cbe go Dhave gone

    Answer: B. went

    The verb 'go' is irregular, which means it doesn't follow the -ed rule. Its past form is 'went'.

17. Q17They ___ a bear in the forest last summer.

    Ahave seen Bare seed Csaw Dsee

    Answer: C. saw

    The verb 'see' is irregular — you cannot say 'seed'. The correct past form is 'saw'. 'Last summer' is a specific past time, so the present perfect 'have seen' and the present simple 'see' are both incorrect.

18. Q18She ___ all the cake at the party yesterday.

    Abe eat Bhas eaten Cate Deats

    Answer: C. ate

    The verb 'eat' is irregular — its past form is 'ate'. 'Yesterday' is a specific past time, so the present perfect 'has eaten' and the present simple 'eats' are both incorrect.

19. Q19He ___ coffee this morning.

    Adrank Bhas drunk Care drinked Ddrinks

    Answer: A. drank

    The verb 'drink' is irregular. Its past form is 'drank'. You cannot say 'drinked'.

20. Q20We ___ a new car last week.

    Abought Bbuy Cbe buy Dhave bought

    Answer: A. bought

    The verb 'buy' is irregular. Its past form is 'bought'. You cannot say 'buyed'.

21. Q21I ___ my homework yesterday.

    Ahave done Bare do Cdid Ddo

    Answer: C. did

    The verb 'do' is irregular. Its past form is 'did'. We use it to talk about finished tasks in the past.

22. Q22She ___ a letter to her friend last week.

    Aare write Bwrites Cwrote Dhas written

    Answer: C. wrote

    The verb 'write' is irregular — its past form is 'wrote'. 'Last week' is a specific past time, so the present simple 'writes' and the present perfect 'has written' are both incorrect.

23. Q23They ___ to the party late last Saturday.

    Acome Bhave come Ccame Dbe come

    Answer: C. came

    The verb 'come' is irregular — its past form is 'came'. 'Last Saturday' is a specific past time, so the present simple 'come' and the present perfect 'have come' are both incorrect.

24. Q24He ___ a mistake on the test yesterday.

    Aare make Bmade Cmakes Dhas made

    Answer: B. made

    The verb 'make' is irregular — its past form is 'made'. 'Yesterday' is a finished past time, so the present simple 'makes' and the present perfect 'has made' are both incorrect.

25. Q25I ___ him a book for his birthday last month.

    Ahave given Bgive Care give Dgave

    Answer: D. gave

    The verb 'give' is irregular — its past form is 'gave'. 'Last month' is a specific past time, so the present perfect 'have given' and the present simple 'give' are both incorrect.

26. Q26She ___ the bus to work last Tuesday.

    Aare take Btook Chas taken Dtakes

    Answer: B. took

    The verb 'take' is irregular — its past form is 'took'. 'Last Tuesday' is a specific past time, so the present simple 'takes' and the present perfect 'has taken' are both incorrect.

27. Q27They ___ the answer to the question when the teacher asked yesterday.

    Awere knowing Bknew Chave known Dknow

    Answer: B. knew

    The verb 'know' is irregular — its past form is 'knew'. 'Yesterday' is a finished past time, so the present simple 'know' and the present perfect 'have known' are both incorrect. 'Were knowing' is also wrong because state-describing verbs like 'know' do not take the continuous form.

28. Q28He ___ his keys in the car yesterday.

    Ahas left Bbe leave Cleaves Dleft

    Answer: D. left

    The verb 'leave' is irregular — its past form is 'left'. 'Yesterday' is a specific past time, so the present perfect 'has left' and the present simple 'leaves' are both incorrect.

29. Q29We ___ the race yesterday.

    Aare win Bwon Cwin Dhave won

    Answer: B. won

    The verb 'win' is irregular. Its past form is 'won'. You cannot say 'winned'.

30. Q30She ___ a song at the concert last night.

    Abe sing Bhas sung Csings Dsang

    Answer: D. sang

    The verb 'sing' is irregular — its past form is 'sang'. 'Last night' is a specific past time, so the present perfect 'has sung' and the present simple 'sings' are both incorrect.

31. Q31Which sentence is correct?

    AHe didn't walked to school. BHe not walked to school. CHe didn't walk to school. DHe doesn't walked to school.

    Answer: C. He didn't walk to school.

    In negative past sentences, we use 'didn't' followed by the basic verb (walk). We do not add -ed to the main verb when we use 'didn't'.

32. Q32Which sentence is correct?

    ADid you go out? BDid you gone out? CDo you went out? DDid you went out?

    Answer: A. Did you go out?

    In past tense questions, we use 'Did' followed by the basic verb (go). We do not use the past form 'went' in a 'did' question.

33. Q33Which sentence is correct?

    AI saw him two days before. BI saw him two days later. CI saw him two days past. DI saw him two days ago.

    Answer: D. I saw him two days ago.

    We use 'ago' to say how far back in the past something happened. For example: 'two days ago' or 'ten minutes ago'.

34. Q34Which sentence is correct?

    AHe arrived at 2010. BHe arrived to 2010. CHe arrived in 2010. DHe arrived on 2010.

    Answer: C. He arrived in 2010.

    We always use the word 'in' before a year. For example: 'in 2010' or 'in 1995'.

35. Q35Which sentence is correct?

    AWe met in Monday. BWe met at Monday. CWe met on Monday. DWe met to Monday.

    Answer: C. We met on Monday.

    We always use the word 'on' before days of the week. For example: 'on Monday' or 'on Sunday'.

36. Q36Identify the incorrect sentence among these options:

    AHe did stop at the store. BHe was stopping at the store. CHe stopped at the store. DHe stoped at the store.

    Answer: D. He stoped at the store.

    'He stoped at the store' is incorrect because for the verb 'stop', we must double the last letter 'p' before adding -ed. The correct spelling is 'stopped'.

37. Q37Identify the incorrect sentence among these options:

    AThey traveled to Italy. BThey were traveling to Italy. CThey traveld to Italy. DThey did travel to Italy.

    Answer: C. They traveld to Italy.

    'They traveld to Italy' is incorrect because it is missing the letter 'e'. The correct spelling is 'traveled' or 'travelled'.

38. Q38Identify the incorrect sentence among these options:

    AI was giving him a gift. BI had given him a gift. CI gived him a gift. DI gave him a gift.

    Answer: C. I gived him a gift.

    'I gived him a gift' is incorrect because 'give' is an irregular verb. The past form is 'gave', not 'gived'.

39. Q39Identify the incorrect sentence among these options:

    AShe took the bus. BShe had taken the bus. CShe taked the bus. DShe was taking the bus.

    Answer: C. She taked the bus.

    'She taked the bus' is incorrect because 'take' is an irregular verb. The past form is 'took', not 'taked'.

40. Q40Identify the incorrect sentence among these options:

    AHe wasn't coming home. BHe didn't came home. CHe didn't come home. DHe hadn't come home.

    Answer: B. He didn't came home.

    'He didn't came home' is incorrect. When we use 'didn't', we must use the basic verb 'come'. We do not use the past form 'came' with 'didn't'.

41. Q41Identify the incorrect sentence among these options:

    AHad she bought it? BDid she bought it? CWas she buying it? DDid she buy it?

    Answer: B. Did she bought it?

    'Did she bought it?' is incorrect. In a 'did' question, we must use the basic verb 'buy'. We do not use the past form 'bought' with 'did'.

42. Q42Identify the incorrect sentence among these options:

    AI saw her last night ago. BI saw her last night. CI saw her two days ago. DI saw her an hour ago.

    Answer: A. I saw her last night ago.

    'I saw her last night ago' is incorrect. We use 'last night' by itself or 'two days ago', but we never put 'ago' after the word 'last'.

43. Q43Identify the incorrect sentence among these options:

    AShe had loved the cake. BShe love the cake. CShe was loving the cake. DShe loved the cake.

    Answer: B. She love the cake.

    'She love the cake' is incorrect for a past action. You must use the past form 'loved'.

44. Q44Identify the incorrect sentence among these options:

    AThey had known the answer before the test. BThey had known the answer by yesterday. CThey knew the answer yesterday. DThey know the answer yesterday.

    Answer: D. They know the answer yesterday.

    'They know the answer yesterday' is incorrect because the present simple 'know' cannot be used with the past time expression 'yesterday'. The correct past form is 'knew'. The other options all use appropriate past tenses.

45. Q45Identify the incorrect sentence among these options:

    AI did it last night. BI did it in yesterday. CI did it yesterday. DI did it on Monday.

    Answer: B. I did it in yesterday.

    'I did it in yesterday' is incorrect. We do not use the word 'in' before 'yesterday', 'today', or 'tomorrow'.