Which word completes the sentence: She ____ great difficulty getting her new passport because the office was shut?

Which word completes the sentence: She ____ great difficulty getting her new passport because the office was shut?

• A. Had
• B. Has
• C. Having
• D. Have

Answer: (A)

The idea tested here is choosing the correct verb form to express a past experience. The sentence describes a past situation: she experienced great difficulty getting her passport because the office was shut. For a past experience with the verb to have, the natural choice is the past simple form: had. So the sentence reads, “She had great difficulty getting her new passport because the office was shut.” Why this fits best: had is the correct past tense to match the time frame of the trouble she faced in the past. Using has would imply a present situation, which doesn’t align with the past reason clause. Having would require a different structure (it would start a participial phrase or need a different main verb). Have is the base form, which doesn’t agree with the subject in the past tense needed here.

The idea tested here is choosing the correct verb form to express a past experience. The sentence describes a past situation: she experienced great difficulty getting her passport because the office was shut. For a past experience with the verb to have, the natural choice is the past simple form: had. So the sentence reads, “She had great difficulty getting her new passport because the office was shut.”

Why this fits best: had is the correct past tense to match the time frame of the trouble she faced in the past. Using has would imply a present situation, which doesn’t align with the past reason clause. Having would require a different structure (it would start a participial phrase or need a different main verb). Have is the base form, which doesn’t agree with the subject in the past tense needed here.