Question

I opened my eyes, lay still for a moment, and ______ to the sounds of the forest. The rustling tree branches sounded like hushed whispers, and I wondered what they were saying. What a peaceful morning, I thought to myself.

Which word correctly fills in the blank?
listened
listen
listens
listening

Answer 1

I believe the correct answer would be "Listened" because most of the context is past instead of present tense

Answer 2

The correct answer is A. Listened

Explanation:

In the case of texts in which the missing word or word to be completed is a verb the most important step is to determine the verb tense that fits with the context of the text. In this way, if the text all verbs are in present the verb that fills in the blank should also be in present or if the text is in future the correct verb form needs to be in future as well. In the case of the text presented, the main tense is past simple this can be seen in sentence such as "I opened my eyes", "I wondered what they were saying" or " I thought to myself", considering this, the word that correctly fills in the blank is "listened" because this is the only one in past tense and therefore the only one that fits with the general verbal tense of the paragraph.