Class 10 and class 9 English question papers routinely include questions that ask students to complete news headlines with appropriate verb forms. Here is a practice exercise.

1. An international study ………………………. (found / is finding / has found) that people who ……………… (down / are downing / downed) more than seven drinks a week can expect to die sooner than those who ………………….. (drank / drink / drunk) less.

2. Czech filmmaker Milos Forman, whose American movies ………………… (win / won) a deluge of Oscars Awards, ……………………. (die / died / has died) On Saturday, April 14. He …………………… (is / was / has been) 86.

3. Two decades after creating the clone sheep Dolly and paving the way for new research into Parkinson’s, Dr Ian Wilmut …………………….. (reveals / revealed / has revealed) on Wednesday that he …………………. (has / is / have) the disease himself.

4. The birth of Dolly, the first clone sheep, …………………… (prove / proved / proving) that cells from anywhere in the body ……………………. (can / could / will) behave like a newly fertilised egg.

Answers

1. An international study has found that people who down more than seven drinks a week can expect to die sooner than those who drink less.

2. Czech filmmaker Milos Forman, whose American movies won a deluge of Oscars Awards, died On Saturday, April 14. He was 86.

3. Two decades after creating the clone sheep Dolly and paving the way for new research into Parkinson’s, Dr Ian Wilmut revealed on Wednesday that he has the disease himself.

4. The birth of Dolly, the first clone sheep, proved that cells from anywhere in the body could behave like a newly fertilised egg.