Mr. Sinha in this school since 1985?

Appeared in: PGIMS Rohtak NO - 2017

Explanation

The phrase 'since 1985' indicates an action that began at a specific point in the past and is still ongoing.
The Present Perfect Continuous tense ('has been teaching') is the most appropriate choice to emphasize the continuous nature and duration of an action that started in the past and continues to the present.
The grammatical structure for a question in the Present Perfect Continuous tense is 'Has/Have + subject + been + verb(-ing)?', which perfectly fits the sentence.

Option B: This is the Present Perfect tense. While it can be used with 'since', it tends to emphasize the result or the cumulative action up to the present, rather than the ongoing, continuous nature of the activity which is better expressed by the Present Perfect Continuous.
Option C: This is the Present Continuous tense, which describes an action happening at the present moment. It does not convey the sense of duration from a point in the past.
Option D: This is the Simple Past tense, used for actions that were completed entirely in the past. The phrase 'since 1985' indicates the action is not completed, making the Simple Past tense grammatically incorrect here.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Correct usage of verb tenses, specifically the Present Perfect Continuous tense as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Accurate use of grammar is fundamental for clear and unambiguous communication in all professional settings, including healthcare.
In nursing, precise documentation of patient history relies on correct tenses. For example, distinguishing between 'The patient has had a fever for three days' (Present Perfect) and 'The patient had a fever yesterday' (Simple Past) is critical for diagnosis and treatment.
What if? - If the sentence were 'Mr. Sinha ___ in this school in 1985?', the correct answer would change to 'taught'. The word 'in' specifies a completed time in the past, requiring the Simple Past tense.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify any time markers in the sentence. The key phrase here is 'since 1985'.
Understand the meaning of the time marker. 'Since' followed by a point in time indicates an action that started in the past and continues up to the present.
Evaluate the given options to determine which verb tense correctly expresses this continuous action over a duration.
Recall that the Present Perfect Continuous tense ('has/have been + verb-ing') is specifically used for this purpose.
Eliminate the other tenses based on their primary functions: Simple Past is for completed actions, and Present Continuous is for actions happening at the current moment.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Correct usage of verb tenses, specifically the Present Perfect Continuous tense.
Stem keywords: Mr. Sinha, in this school, since 1985
Lead-in keywords: ?
Negative lead-in flag: false

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Practise the full PGIMS Rohtak NO - 2017

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.