Fill in the blanks with the correct option, ensuring the verb tenses accurately reflect the chronological sequence of events.
Scarcely ________ the morning train when I realized that, if I had left my house five minutes later, I ________ the crucial interview.
Answer और ExplanationAnswer and explanation
Answer: (B) had I boarded, would have missed
Concept (Inversion with Scarcely and Third Conditional)
'Scarcely' से शुरू होने पर inversion होता है, जिसका ढाँचा 'Scarcely had + subject + V3 ... when + Past Simple' है; इसलिए 'had I boarded'। 'If I had left ... later' Third Conditional (तृतीय शर्तवाचक) का if-clause (शर्तवाचक उपवाक्य) है, अतः मुख्य clause में 'would have missed' आता है। विकल्प A में inversion नहीं है, C में 'did I board' इस ढाँचे में नहीं लागू होता, और D में 'will miss' अवास्तविक भूतकाल से मेल नहीं खाता।
✓ सही वाक्य: Scarcely had I boarded the morning train when I realized that, if I had left my house five minutes later, I would have missed the crucial interview.
Concept (Inversion with Scarcely and Third Conditional) When a sentence begins with Scarcely, inversion follows, giving the pattern Scarcely had + subject + V3 ... when + Past Simple; hence 'had I boarded'. 'If I had left ... later' is the if-clause of a Third Conditional, so the main clause takes would have missed. A has no inversion; in C, 'did I board' does not fit this pattern; in D, 'will miss' does not match an unreal past.
✓ Correct sentence Scarcely had I boarded the morning train when I realized that, if I had left my house five minutes later, I would have missed the crucial interview.
Examiner's Trap The two blanks rest on different concepts, so students who look only at the first part and choose C or D go wrong in the second blank.
Source: SSC CGL 2026 · 13 Oct 2026 · Shift III। Solution: Prashant Sir, Ramban।Source: SSC CGL 2026 · 13 Oct 2026 · Shift III. Solution by Prashant Sir, from Ramban.