Directions: In the following passage some words have been deleted. Fill in the blanks with the help of the alternatives given. Select the most appropriate option for each blank. The Great Stupa at Sanchi is one of the oldest stone structures in India. It was originally commissioned (1)______ Emperor Ashoka, in the 3rd century BCE. Its nucleus (2)______ a simple hemispherical brick structure built (3)______ the relics of the Buddha. It was crowned by the chhatri, a parasol-like (4)______ symbolizing high rank, which was (5)______ to honor and shelter the relics. Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank No.2

Explanation

The correct answer is- was . Key Points The simple past tense is used when we talk about things that happened or existed before now. The structure is given below: Subject + V 2 + object. (Active Voice) Object + was/were + V 3 + by + subject. (Passive Voice) Example: He won the car race. (active voice) The car race was won by him. (passive voice) Since the given sentence is in active voice form, 'was' will be used in the 2nd blank. Additional Information Some phrases are followed by past indefinite/simple tense as given below: It's high time, It's time, It's about time, etc. For example: It's high time I start preparing for my final exams. It's high time I started preparing for my final exams .