16Hit1600
Standard English ConventionsHardPresent perfect with 'since'

Standard English Conventions practice question

The museum ____ more than a million visitors since it opened in 2010.

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

  1. A. has welcomedCorrect
  2. B. welcomed
  3. C. welcomes
  4. D. had welcomed

Answer: A. has welcomed

'Since it opened in 2010' describes a span from then up to now. Action over a period that continues to the present takes the present perfect: 'has welcomed'.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. welcomed
Simple past 'welcomed' suggests a finished period, but 'since 2010' runs up to the present.
C. welcomes
Present 'welcomes' describes what happens now, not a total accumulated since 2010.
D. had welcomed
'had welcomed' is past perfect, for an action completed before another past event. The counting continues to today.

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