Question

Read the following passage and put the verbs in the correct form, present perfect or past simple. (5 marks)Then and now Twenty years ago few people realized (realize) that computers were about to become part of our daily lives. This short period of time has seen (see) enormous changes, in business, education and public administration. Jobs which _________________(take) weeks to complete in the past, are now carried out in minutes. Clerks who _______________ (spend) all day copying and checking calculations are now freed from these tedious tasks. In offices, the soft hum and clicking of word processors_________________(replace) the clatter of typewriters. Schoolchildren ____________________ (become) as familiar with hardware and software as their parents _________________ (be) with pencils and exercise books. Computerization of public records __________________ (enable) government departments to analyze the needs of citizens in details. Some of us may wonder, however, whether life ______________ (really/improve) as a result of these changes. Many jobs __________________ (disappear), for example, when intelligent machines ________________ (take) over the work. Employers complain that clerical staff ______________ (become) dependent on calculators and cannot do simple arithmetic.

Answer 1

Twenty years ago few people realized (realized) that computers were about to become part of our daily lives. This short period of time has seen (see) enormous changes, in business, education & public administration. Jobs which --TOOK---- (take) weeks to complete in the past are now carried out in minutes. Clerks who -SPENT- (spend) all day copying & checking calculation are now freed from these tedious tasks. In offices, the soft hum & clicking of word processors--HAVE REPLACED-- (replace) the clatter of typewriters. Schoolchildren ---HAVE BECOME--- (become) as familiar with hardware & software as their parents -USED TO BE-- (be) with pencils & exercise books. Computerization of public records --HAS ENABLED-- (enable) government departments to analyze the needs of citizens in details. Some of us may wonder, however, whether life --REALLY HAS IMPROVED--(really \ improve) as a result of these changes. Many jobs ---DISAPPEARED--- (disappear), for example, when intelligent machines --TOOK-- (take) over the work. Employers complain that clerical staff ---HAVE BECOME-- (become) dependent on calculators & cannot 

Answer 2

Certainly! The passage you provided requires filling in the blanks with the correct verb forms in either the present perfect or past simple tense.

Here is the passage with the verbs filled in:

"Then and now Twenty years ago few people realized (realize) that computers were about to become part of our daily lives. This short period of time has seen (see) enormous changes, in business, education, and public administration. Jobs which took (take) weeks to complete in the past, are now carried out in minutes. Clerks who spent (spend) all day copying and checking calculations are now freed from these tedious tasks. In offices, the soft hum and clicking of word processors replaced (replace) the clatter of typewriters. Schoolchildren have become (become) as familiar with hardware and software as their parents were (be) with pencils and exercise books. Computerization of public records has enabled (enable) government departments to analyze the needs of citizens in details. Some of us may wonder, however, whether life has really improved (really/improve) as a result of these changes. Many jobs disappeared (disappear), for example, when intelligent machines took (take) over the work. Employers complain that clerical staff have become (become) dependent on calculators and cannot do simple arithmetic."

Explanation: 1. "Realized" - past simple: Refers to an action that happened at a specific time in the past (twenty years ago). 2. "Has seen" - present perfect: Indicates an action that started in the past and continues up to the present. 3. "Took" - past simple: Describes a completed action in the past. 4. "Spent" - past simple: Describes an action that happened repeatedly or habitually in the past. 5. "Replaced" - past simple: Describes an action that occurred at a specific time in the past. 6. "Have become" - present perfect: Indicates an action that started in the past and continues up to the present. 7. "Were" - past simple: Refers to a state or action that occurred in the past. 8. "Has enabled" - present perfect: Indicates an action that started in the past and continues up to the present. 9. "Has really improved" - present perfect: Indicates an action that started in the past and has relevance to the present. 10. "Disappeared" - past simple: Describes an action that occurred and was completed in the past. 11. "Took" - past simple: Describes an action that occurred at a specific time in the past. 12. "Have become" - present perfect: Indicates an action that started in the past and continues up to the present.

These verb forms align with the context of the passage and the appropriate tense usage.