MTEL Communication Literacy Skills : Writing Practice Test

Identify the tense used in this sentence: "Cindy ate the apple that she had picked."

1. Present Perfect Tense

2. Past Perfect Tense

3. Future Perfect Tense

4. Simple Past Tense

The correct answer is: Past Perfect Tense

The sentence "Cindy ate the apple that she had picked" uses the Past Perfect Tense. This tense is specifically characterized by its focus on an action that was completed before another action took place in the past. In this example, "she had picked" indicates that the action of picking the apple occurred before the action of eating it (“Cindy ate”). This sequence of actions establishes a clear timeline, which is the primary function of the Past Perfect Tense. The structure of the Past Perfect is formed by using "had" followed by the past participle of the verb—in this case, "picked." Recognizing this structure helps to understand that the action of picking the apple was not simultaneous with eating; rather, it preceded it. This precision in timing is what differentiates the Past Perfect from other tenses, such as the Simple Past, which would simply describe both actions without indicating their order or relationship.