ELPAC Practice

Which sentence uses the wrong verb tense? (Learning to Fix Bikes)

Read a Student Essay · ELPAC Grades 9–10 reading. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.

An essay written as if by a classmate, with numbered sentences. The student finds the sentence containing the error.

Read the essay. Then answer the questions.

Learning to Fix Bikes

  1. When I was in ninth grade, my uncle gave me an old ten-speed bike that had been sitting in his garage for years.
  2. The tires were flat, the chain was rusted, and the brakes barely worked.
  3. I wanted to take it to a repair shop, but the estimate was more than the bike was worth.
  4. Instead, I started watching repair videos and borrowing tools from a neighbor who used to race.
  5. Replacing the chain took me an entire weekend, because I kept threading it around the wrong gear.
  6. The brakes were harder, and I had to adjust the cables three times before they stopped the wheel.
  7. Last spring, after the bike was finally working, I ride it to school every day for a month.
  8. Other students started asking me to look at their bikes, so I set up a table outside the cafeteria at lunch.
  9. Most of the problems turned out to be simple, like a loose seat or a chain that needed oil.
  10. I learned to explain each repair careful, so that the owner could do it alone the next time.
  11. This year the student council gave our repair table a small budget for parts.
  12. I still ride my uncle's old bike, and I am the one my friends call when their brakes squeak.

The question

Choose the best answer.

Which sentence uses the wrong verb tense?

  • Sentence 4: “Instead, I started watching repair videos and borrowing tools from a neighbor who used to race.”
  • Sentence 7: “Last spring, after the bike was finally working, I ride it to school every day for a month.”Correct answer
  • Sentence 9: “Most of the problems turned out to be simple, like a loose seat or a chain that needed oil.”
  • Sentence 12: “I still ride my uncle’s old bike, and I am the one my friends call when their brakes squeak.”

Why “Sentence 7: “Last spring, after the bike was finally working, I ride it to school every day for a month.”” is correct

This tests keeping verb tense consistent with a time marker. 'Last spring' and 'was finally working' place sentence 7 in the past, so the verb must be 'rode'; 'ride' is present tense. Sentence 12 is the useful contrast: it also uses 'ride', but 'still' places it in the present, where it is correct.

Why the other answers are wrong

  • Sentence 4: “Instead, I started watching repair videos and borrowing tools from a neighbor who used to race.” — 'Started watching' and 'used to race' are both correct past forms for events before now.
  • Sentence 9: “Most of the problems turned out to be simple, like a loose seat or a chain that needed oil.” — 'Turned out' and 'needed' are both past tense, matching the time of the repairs.
  • Sentence 12: “I still ride my uncle’s old bike, and I am the one my friends call when their brakes squeak.” — 'Still' signals the present, so 'ride' and 'call' are correct here.

Practice more of this

More reading practice for Grades 9–10, or see the ELPAC practice test for grades 9–10. 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.