Assessment: Past Simple vs. Past Continuous

While she ______ (write) a thank-you letter, her little sister ______ (spill) water on it.

• wrote, spilled

• was writing, spilled

• was writing, was spilling

• wrote, was spilling

While my little brother ______ (play) in the yard, my mother ______ (prepare) lunch for us.

• played, prepared

• was playing, was preparing

• was playing, prepared

• played, was preparing

I ______ (read) a story to my little sister when she suddenly ______ (fall) asleep on my lap.

• was reading, was falling

• read, was falling

• was reading, fell

• read, fell

The teacher ______ (explain) the lesson while the students ______ (take) notes.

• explained, were taking

• was explaining, were taking

• was explaining, took

• explained, took

My dad ______ (drive) my sick dog to the vet when his car suddenly ______ (break) down.

• was driving, was breaking

• drove, was breaking

• drove, broke

• was driving, broke

While we ______ (walk) home, we ______ (see) a lost puppy shivering in the cold.

• were walking, saw

• walked, was seeing

• walked, saw

• were walking, was seeing

He ______ (help) his younger brother with homework when he suddenly ______ (start) crying.

• helped, started

• was helping, was starting

• was helping, started

• helped, was starting

I ______ (sleep) when my best friend ______ (call) me to tell me about her problem.

• was sleeping, was calling

• slept, called

• was sleeping, called

• slept, was calling

While we ______ (wait) for the bus, I ______ (share) my snacks with my hungry friend.

• were waiting, shared

• were waiting, was sharing

• waited, shared

• waited, was sharing

She ______ (cook) dinner for her sick grandmother when she ______ (hear) a knock at the door.

• was cooking, heard

• cooked, was hearing

• was cooking, was hearing

• cooked, heard