Question

Fill in the blank with the appropriate verb.
When the burglar broke into the house all the members of the family _____ television.

• A. Watched
• B. Has watched
• C. Was watching
• D. Were watching

Answer 1

The correct option is D Were watching

Here, 'were watching' in past continuous tense is correct because it is used to indicate uncompleted action in the past (with or without time reference).
'Watched' in past simple tense is incorrect because it indicates an action that has already been completed.
'Has watched' in present perfect tense is incorrect because it is used to indicate an action which started in the past and has continued up untill now.
'Was watching' is incorrect because the subject (members) is in plural form, not singular form. So, usage of were is correct.