Question

The bell _____________ by the time I reached the exam hall. (Fill in the blanks, choosing from the options given below)

• A. Had rung
• B. Rung
• C. Ring
• D. Have rung

Answer 1

Answer:

A. Had rung

The sentence describes two past actions:

1. The bell rang

2. I reached the exam hall

The bell rang before I reached the hall.

👉 When one past action happened before another past action, we use Past Perfect Tense.

Structure of Past Perfect:

had + past participle

So:

✅ The bell had rung by the time I reached the exam hall.