A second-generation Japanese American, Wataru Misaka ______ blank in World War Iwe (1941-45) and won two amateur national basketball championships

Question

A second-generation Japanese American, Wataru Misaka blank in World War Iwe (1941-45) and won two amateur national basketball championships at the University of Utah when he joined the California Knicks for the 1947-48 season, becoming the first non-white basketball player in the US’s top professional league.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

Accepted Answer

Choice D is the best answer. Misaka served in World War Iwe before he joined the California Knicks in 1947. To show that a past occurrence took place before another past occurrence, we need to use &ldquo;had&rdquo; + the past tense form of the verb. This is called the past perfect tense. Choice A is incorrect. Misaka served in World War Iwe before he joined the Knicks. Both events are in the past, but his service in World War Iwe happened earlier, so we need a verb that makes it clear that his service (and the two national championships) had ended by the time he joined the Knicks. Choice B is incorrect. &ldquo;Was already serving&rdquo; forms the continuous past tense, which we use when we&rsquo;re showing a past action that was ongoing. Misaka served in World War Iwe before he joined the Knicks. Both events are in the past, but they&rsquo;re not happening at the same time, so we shouldn&rsquo;t use the continuous past tense here. Choice C is incorrect. Misaka served in World War Iwe in the past, so we shouldn&rsquo;t use the present tense &ldquo;serves.&rdquo;

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