If the district ______ the funding request last spring, the new science lab would already be open.
Vocabulary and Grammar in Context · ELPAC Grades 11–12 reading. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Extra practice, not a separate task on the real test: a sentence with one word missing, testing the vocabulary and grammar the passages assume.
The question
Read the sentence. Choose the words that best complete it.
If the district ______ the funding request last spring, the new science lab would already be open.
- approves
- is approving
- had approvedCorrect answer
Why “had approved” is correct
This tests the past unreal conditional, a structure that gives advanced learners trouble because both halves of the sentence have to shift together. 'Would already be open' signals that the event did not happen, which forces the past perfect 'had approved' in the clause beginning with 'if'. A quick diagnostic is to ask what is actually true: the lab is not open, so the sentence describes a past that did not occur.
Why the other answers are wrong
- approves — 'Approves' is present tense and would describe a real, current possibility, which conflicts with both 'last spring' and 'would already be open'.
- is approving — 'Is approving' describes something in progress right now and cannot pair with a completed past time phrase.
Practice more of this
More reading practice for Grades 11–12, or see the ELPAC practice test for grades 11–12. For other grades, see free ELPAC practice tests by grade.
This is an independent study resource. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the California Department of Education or the official ELPAC program. All questions here are original practice material written to match the published task formats.