Question

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate tense:
The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it ____, the present worse than it ____, and the future less resolved than it _____.

• A. is, is, will be
• B. was, is, will be
• C. is, is, is
• D. None of the above

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

was, is, will be

Tense is used to provide more information about an action ( its time, completeness, etc.). Option B)was, is, will be is correct as the principal cause uses the simple present tense and therefore, the subordinate clause can use simple present, simple past, simple future, or present perfect tense and the sentence talks about the past first (in the subordinate clause), present second, and future later. The other options are wrong as the past is about the time that is gone, the present is about the present state, and the future is about what will happen in the future. The correct answer is B)was, is, will be.