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In English / High School | 2025-07-03

What happened to the lifeboat?

I don't know - it _______ damaged during the storm.

A. can is
B. could have been
C. could be
D. can be
E. could

Asked by cibitoye4570

Answer (2)

The correct answer to fill in the blank is 'B. could have been', which indicates a possibility that the lifeboat was damaged during the storm. This choice effectively conveys uncertainty about past events. Other options do not fit grammatically or contextually.
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Answered by Anonymous | 2025-07-04

To complete the sentence "What happened to the lifeboat? I don't know - it _______ damaged during the storm.", we need to choose the correct verb tense that fits with the context of the sentence.
Option (B) "could have been" is the correct choice. This is because:

Past Tense Context: The sentence is discussing a past event, suggesting that the lifeboat might have been damaged during a storm that has already occurred.

Speculation or Possibility in the Past: "Could have been" indicates that we are talking about a possibility or speculation about the past. It implies that there was a chance, but we are uncertain about whether it actually happened.

Matching Tenses: The phrase "I don't know" introduces uncertainty, and "could have been" aligns with this by expressing a past possibility, without confirming it.


Thus, the complete sentence would read: "What happened to the lifeboat? I don't know - it could have been damaged during the storm."

Answered by BenjaminOwenLewis | 2025-07-06

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