"Norman _______ algebra." How would you fill in the blank with the present perfect tense of the verb study?

Question

A. studied

B. had studied

C. will have studied

D. has studied

Answer 1

The present perfect is often used for an action which started at some time in the past, and are still continuing now. By giving these sentences more context, the answer become clearer.

A) Norman never took any language classes; instead, Norman studied algebra.  (This is used to refer to a finished past event.)

B) Norman felt prepared to take Calculus, as he had studied algebra in 10th grade. (This is also a finished past event.)

C) By the time he graduates in 2010, Norman will have studied algebra. (This refers to something in the future.)

D) Norman is majoring in mathematics and has taken many mathematics courses.  In college he has studied algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. (This is also past tense, but could be continuing into the present - i.e., he could still be taking that algebra course.)

The answer is thus D.