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English Language & Literature — CBSE Class 10 board question

Q1. [1]
Select the option that identifies the error and supplies the correction for the following line: I can run fast when I was young.
  1. a Error: was | Correction: is
  2. b Error: run | Correction: ran
  3. c Error: can | Correction: could
  4. d Error: when | Correction: whence
Previously asked in CBSE board exam
2023 2/1/1 Q3 (iv)
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-15 07:12 · grounding rag
Model Answer

(c) Error: can | Correction: could

The sentence refers to past ability, so the past modal "could" is correct instead of "can."

Explanation

When a sentence expresses ability in the past (signalled by "when I was young"), the modal verb must also be in the past form. "Can" is present tense; "could" is its past equivalent. This is a tense-consistency error — a common grammar question type in CBSE board exams.

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Previous-year CBSE Grade 10 board exam questions, organised by subject and chapter, each with a model answer — free to read and print.