SAT OwlQuestion bank / Form, Structure, and Sense
On July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 lunar module landed on the Moon's Sea of Tranquility. A few hours later, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin ______ the first humans to walk on the lunar surface.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
became
become
will become
are becoming
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A
The text describes a specific event in 1969, and the first sentence uses the past tense ("landed"). The simple past "became" is correct. The other choices use present or future tenses that don't fit an event from the past.
Choice B uses the present tense, which doesn't match "landed" and the 1969 date.
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