Question 202·Easy·Form, Structure, and Sense
When the small software company launched its first app in 2008, it ______ only three full-time employees.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For verb tense questions, first underline any time clues (dates, time phrases, or other past-tense verbs) and decide the basic time frame: present, simple past, or something more complex. Then choose the verb form that keeps the sentence in one clear, consistent time frame unless there is a strong reason to show one event happening before another (past perfect) or continuing into the present (present perfect). Quickly plug each option into the sentence and eliminate any that mismatch the time frame or create an ungrammatical structure after the subject.
Hints
Pay attention to the time phrase
Look at the words "launched" and "in 2008." What time period do they describe?
Match verb tense to time
The verb in the blank must match the time described by the rest of the sentence. Ask yourself: is this happening now, or did it happen at a specific time in the past?
Check for extra time layers
Does the sentence describe one past time, or does it show one past action that happened before another past action? That will help you decide if you need simple past or a more complicated past tense.
Test the options in the sentence
Read the full sentence with each option and listen for both tense consistency and basic grammatical correctness after the subject "it."
Step-by-step Explanation
Locate the time clue
Look at the time information in the sentence: "When the small software company launched its first app in 2008." Both "launched" and "in 2008" clearly show that the situation is in the past at a specific time.
Decide which tense is needed
For an action or state that was true at a specific time in the past (in this case, how many employees the company had in 2008), English normally uses the simple past tense, not present tense and not a more complex past form unless there is a clear reason.
Check each option’s tense and structure
Now look at how each answer choice fits after "it" in the sentence: we need a past-tense verb form that works as the main verb of the clause: "it ___ only three full-time employees." Eliminate any choice that is present tense, the wrong verb form, or a tense that suggests a different time relationship than the sentence gives.
Choose the simple past form that matches the sentence
The only choice that is the simple past form of the verb and correctly completes the clause "it ___ only three full-time employees" in a past-time context (2008) is "employed."