Question 203·Medium·Form, Structure, and Sense
By the time the Severn Bridge ___ to traffic in 1966, engineers around the world were already rethinking suspension design in light of new aerodynamic findings.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For verb tense questions, always start by spotting time clues (dates like “in 1966,” words like “now,” “already,” “by then,” etc.) and the tenses of surrounding verbs. Immediately eliminate choices whose tense does not match that time frame, then decide between any remaining past forms by asking whether you need a simple past (single completed event at that time) or a past perfect (an earlier past event before another past action). Reread the sentence with your choice to confirm that the time relationship is clear and consistent.
Hints
Focus on the time clues
Look at the phrase “in 1966” and the verb “were already rethinking.” Are these talking about the present or the past?
Match the tense to the time
Which answer choices use present tense forms, and which use past tense forms? Cross out any that don’t fit the time period indicated by the sentence.
Compare the remaining past-tense options
For the past-tense choices, ask yourself: Do we need to show one action happened earlier than another past action, or just that it happened at that past time? Choose the form that fits that relationship.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the time frame of the sentence
Look at the time clues: the phrase “in 1966” clearly places the action in the past. Also, the main clause says “engineers … were already rethinking”, which is past progressive. Both of these tell you the sentence is talking about past actions.
Eliminate verb forms that are not in the past
Now compare the answer choices to that past time frame:
- opens = simple present (used for things that happen regularly or generally now)
- is opening = present progressive (used for actions happening right now)
- had opened = past perfect (used for an action that happened before another past action)
- [one choice] = simple past (used for a completed action at a definite time in the past)
Since the sentence is clearly about a specific past time, you can eliminate the present tense forms: “opens” and “is opening.”
Choose the correct past tense form
You are left with the past-tense options. Ask: Do we need to show that the bridge opening happened before another past action, or just that it happened at that past time?
The structure is:
By the time the Severn Bridge ___ to traffic in 1966, engineers around the world were already rethinking suspension design.
Both actions are located around the same past time (1966). The engineers were already rethinking designs when the bridge opened; we do not need to push the bridge opening further back in time than that. In this situation, Standard English uses the simple past: “opened.”
Confirm the sentence with the chosen verb
Read the full sentence with the chosen form to check it sounds logical and consistent:
By the time the Severn Bridge opened to traffic in 1966, engineers around the world were already rethinking suspension design in light of new aerodynamic findings.
The time references now match, and the verb tenses are consistent, so “opened” is the correct answer.