GATE EC 2025 Set 1 — Question 2

MCQ+1 / -0.33EasyEnglish Grammar (Tenses, Articles, Prepositions, Conjunctions)Verbal AptitudeGeneral Aptitude

General Aptitude → Verbal Aptitude → English Grammar (Tenses, Articles, Prepositions, Conjunctions)

Last updated 5 September 2026

Question

Had I learnt acting as a child, I______a famous film star. Select the most appropriate option to complete the above sentence.

Correct answer (D) could have been Solution "Had I learnt acting as a child" is the inverted form of "If I had learnt acting as a child" — a past perfect *if*-clause describing an unreal past condition (third conditional). The result clause of a third conditional takes would/could/might + have + past participle, describing an unreal past result. (A) "will be": first-conditional (real future) form; does not match an unreal past condition. (B) "can be": present ability; does not match an unreal past condition. (C) "am going to be": present/future intention; ungrammatical here. (D) "could have been": modal + have + past participle — the correct third-conditional result. Answer: (D) could have been Turn this into a strength. Explore AI-powered practice and doubt support with Success Tracker.

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Correct answer (D) could have been Solution "Had I learnt acting as a child" is the inverted form of "If I had learnt acting as a child" — a past perfect *if*-clause describing an unreal past condition (third conditional). The result clause of a third conditional takes would/could/might + have + past participle, describing an unreal past result. (A) "will be": first-conditional (real future) form; does not match an unreal past condition. (B) "can be": present ability; does not match an unreal past condition. (C) "am going to be": present/future intention; ungrammatical here. (D) "could have been": modal + have + past participle — the correct third-conditional result. Answer: (D) could have been

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