Question

Fill in the blank with an appropriate modal which demonstrates a past possibility:
People ______ think that the earth was flat.

• A. might
• B. used to
• C. would
• D. will

Answer 1

The correct option is B used to

We use modal verbs to show if we believe something is certain, probable or possible (or not).

From the given options, option B - 'used to' is correct as it is used to say that something happened continuously or frequently during a period in the past. 'Used to' thus demonstrates a past possibility here.

The incorrect options are:

Might - it is used to show that something is possible in the future, but not certain

Will - is used to talk about the future – to say what we believe will happen

Would - is used as a past tense of will and to talk about hypotheses. Whereas the given sentence is a fact and not a hypotheses