Tenses Exercise

Fill in the blanks with an appropriate form of the verb.

The twin towers of the World Trade Center …………………… (was / were) more than just buildings. Brash, glitzy, and grand, they …………….. (are / were) the most recognizable symbols of New York. The World Trade Center was …………………. (conceiving / conceived) in the early 1960s by the Downtown-Lower Manhattan Development Association. In 1962, Minoru Yamasaki and Associates of Michigan ………………….. (was / were) hired as the architects. Eventually, Yamasaki ………….. (decided / deciding) on two huge towers. Critics ………………… (argued / arguing / argue) that a modern monolith would rob New York of character, ruin the skyline, disrupt television reception, and strain city services. However, the project ………………… (approved / was approved) and construction began in 1966.

Answers

The twin towers of the World Trade Center were more than just buildings. Brash, glitzy, and grand, they were the most recognizable symbols of New York. The World Trade Center was conceived in the early 1960s by the Downtown-Lower Manhattan Development Association. In 1962, Minoru Yamasaki and Associates of Michigan were hired as the architects. Eventually, Yamasaki decided on two huge towers. Critics argued that a modern monolith would rob New York of character, ruin the skyline, disrupt television reception, and strain city services. However, the project was approved and construction began in 1966.