Question

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word:
The Mona Lisa _____ by Leonardo da Vinci.
a) painted
b) Were painted
c) Is painted
d) Was painted

Answer 1

Hint: The given question uses a combination of singular and plural nouns and tenses. The given sentence is talking about a famous painting done by a famous painter in the past, therefore a past tense will be applied. If the subject is singular, the verb will be singular and if the subject is plural, the verb will be plural.

Complete answer:
 Option a is wrong because the word “painted” needs a helping verb with the main verb. Just using the main verb is wrong.
Option b is wrong because the subject (painting of Mona Lisa) is singular, so the verb used (were) cannot be plural.
Option c is wrong because the sentence is talking about something which has happened in the past. Option c is present tense.
Option d is the correct answer because it is correct both in terms of tense as well as singular-plural verbs. The tense used is past (was painted) and the singular verb (was) has been used.

Note:
Though the more correct answer would have been “has been painted” as is used with facts which are universally true, the correct answer for the given sentence shall be in the past. Despite being a universal fact, this sentence uses a past tense since the painting has been done in the past. If the answer you think of is not in the given options, go for the answer which is closest to the answer you thought of (provided you are sure that the answer you have thought of is absolutely correct).