How to complete the news headlines?

English question papers of classes 9 and 10 often feature tasks that require students to complete news headlines. It is easy to do these tasks. Just remember the following rules.

The present perfect tense is the most common tense for giving news of recent events. Note that after using the present tense to announce a piece of news, we usually switch to past tenses.

It is important to note that the present perfect cannot be used with past time expressions like yesterday or two months ago. If we say when something happened, we use the simple past tense.

Use the present simple test to talk about facts and general truths.

Complete the news stories given below.

Return of the lost limbs

Biologists……………………. (are long / have long been / were long) intrigued by the ability of newts and salamanders to renew damaged body parts. But how they do it …………………….. (is / has been / was) unclear so far. Now, scientists …………………. (found / have found / had found) a key protein that ……………….. (helps / is helping / has helped) newts – a type of salamander – regrow severed limbs. The breakthrough …………………… (may guide / guide / guided) future research into human regenerative medicine.

Tiny, rice-sized sensor offers new medical, security uses

Researchers in the US …………………… (developed / have developed / develop) a magnetic sensor smaller than a grain of rice and sensitive enough to detect a foetal heart beat, offering the potential for a host of new medical and security uses.

Emergency in Pakistan

General Pervez Musharraf ………………….. (declared / has declared / was declaring) a state of emergency in Pakistan on Saturday, November 3, thrusting the country into political turmoil as it …………………. (struggles / struggled / is struggling) to contain spreading Islamic militancy. Seven Supreme Court judges ………………… (reject / rejected / have rejected) emergency, which suspended the current constitution, but the government said the court order ………………. (will / would / cannot) not come into effect because the emergency order has a clause which states that it cannot be challenged in court of law. Pak polls due in January 2008 are likely to be put off.

Solutions

Return of the lost limbs

Biologists have long been intrigued by the ability of newts and salamanders to renew damaged body parts. But how they do it has been unclear so far. Now, scientists have found a key protein that helps newts – a type of salamander – regrow severed limbs. The breakthrough may guide future research into human regenerative medicine.

Tiny, rice-sized sensor offers new medical, security uses

Researchers in the US have developed a magnetic sensor smaller than a grain of rice and sensitive enough to detect a foetal heart beat, offering the potential for a host of new medical and security uses.

Emergency in Pakistan

General Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency in Pakistan on Saturday, November 3, thrusting the country into political turmoil as it struggles to contain spreading Islamic militancy. Seven Supreme Court judges rejected emergency, which suspended the current constitution, but the government said the court order would not come into effect because the emergency order has a clause which states that it cannot be challenged in court of law.