Three People Injured in Shooting at Des Moines Post Office

Study the questions and tasks

Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.

Practice level

B1. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.

Question formats

Fill in the blank (dropdown)

How to approach this practice

Read the complete sentence and notice the subject, verb form, time reference and word order before answering.

1. Question 1 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   Three people ___ in a shooting on Thursday.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. injured
   2. were injured
   3. was injured
   4. are injure
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   were injured

   Use the past passive for people who received an action.

2. Question 2 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   A third person was injured while ___ to escape.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. try
   2. tried
   3. trying
   4. to trying
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   trying

   After “while,” use the -ing form for an ongoing action.

3. Question 3 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   Police said the injuries ___ life-threatening.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. was not believed to be
   2. were not believed to be
   3. is not believed to be
   4. has not believed to be
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   were not believed to be

   The plural subject “injuries” takes “were.”

4. Question 4 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   The woman ___ at the post office was taken into custody.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. which works
   2. where works
   3. who works
   4. what works
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   who works

   Use “who” to refer to a person doing the action.

5. Question 5 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   The information available does not say whether the post office ___ open.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. is
   2. were
   3. be
   4. was
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   was

   Use “was” to describe the past situation.

What to review next

After checking an answer, explain the rule in your own words and write a new sentence using the same pattern. Revisit any rules you could not explain.

A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.