Rohan used to do well in school, and people thought he was smart because of…
2026
Rohan used to do well in school, and people thought he was smart because of it. But it's not true. In fact, three years ago he___1___ in school. However, two years ago he decided to get serious about school and made a few changes in his lifestyle and routine. First, he__2___ he___3___ become interested in whatever was being taught in the class, regardless of what other people ___4____ .
He decided he would work hard every day and never give up on any assignment. He decided to never, never fall behind. Finally, he ___5____ school a priority over friends and fun. After the ___6___ of these changes, he became an active participant in classroom discussions, and his test scores began to rise. Some students made fun of him because "He was smart." How exciting! It seems that being smart is simply a matter of working hard and being interested. After all, learning a new sport or a video game is hard work even when you are interested. Unfortunately, learning a new video game takes you nowhere.
Fill in blank 3 with the most suitable word.
Answer: A. would — Concept In reported speech, a past reporting frame commonly shifts a future action into the future-in-the-past. The modal must also preserve the intended…
- A.
would
- B.
will
- C.
shall
- D.
ought to
Attempted by 356 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Concept
In reported speech, a past reporting frame commonly shifts a future action into the future-in-the-past. The modal must also preserve the intended meaning: future intention differs from present-viewpoint future, formal first-person usage, and obligation.
A decision made in the past about a later action therefore takes the past form of the future modal.
Application
The decision occurred two years ago, while becoming interested was the intended action that would follow that decision. The clause is therefore “he decided he would become interested,” so the required word is “would.”
Contrast
“Will” retains a present-time viewpoint instead of the passage’s past reporting frame.
“Shall” belongs mainly to formal first-person proposals or traditional future statements, not this third-person reported intention.
“Ought to” adds the meaning of duty or advisability, which the sentence does not express.
Cross-check
Restoring the sentence gives: “First, he decided he would become interested in whatever was being taught in the class.” The sequence consistently places both the decision and its later intended action in a past narrative.