Choose the correct tense 1. representatives of the countries, collectively known as annex. i countries (have agreed/agreed) at the earth summit in rio de janeiro in 1992 that the threat posed by the enhanced greenhouse effect (was serious/has been serious) enough for them to keep their greenhouse – gas emission at the 1990 levels. most (have failed/failed) to do so 2. now, mickey mouse (became/has become) a symbol of the influence the us has on global media 3. governments (have not fostered/ did not foster) the globalization of media. instead, even more than in their industries, they resist foreign investment 4. in the 1980s multichannel tv (has begun/began) to spread around the world 5. before the birth of multichannel tv, american films (have dominated/ dominated) world cinema. but since the 1970s american films (have always been/always were) more successful at tapping a global mass market than any others 6. at the labour party conference the chancellor (attacked/has attacked) oxford and cambridge for taking half of their students from private schools. 7. those who agree with the chancellor s views that oxford and cambridge are biased towards children, educated in expensive private schools sometimes claim that the proportion on oxford s intake from private schools (has gone/went) up from 18% in 1970 up to 49% now. but this is misleading. the proportion of students from state schools, now 42% (has hardly changed/hardly) changed since 1970.
Explanation: The correct tense to use here is "have agreed" because it refers to a past action that is still relevant in the present. The verb "have failed" is also in the correct tense because it refers to a past action (the failure to keep greenhouse gas emissions at 1990 levels) that is still relevant in the present.
2. Mickey Mouse has become a symbol of the influence the US has on global media.
Explanation: The correct tense to use here is "has become" because it refers to a past action (Mickey Mouse becoming a symbol) that is still relevant in the present.
3. Governments have not fostered the globalization of media. Instead, even more than in their industries, they resist foreign investment.
Explanation: The correct tense to use here is "have not fostered" because it refers to a past action (the failure to foster globalization of media) that is still relevant in the present. The verb "resist" is also in the correct tense because it refers to a present action (the resistance to foreign investment) that is still ongoing.
4. In the 1980s, multichannel TV began to spread around the world.
Explanation: The correct tense to use here is "began" because it refers to a past action (the spread of multichannel TV) that started and ended in the past.
5. Before the birth of multichannel TV, American films dominated world cinema. But since the 1970s, American films have always been more successful at tapping a global mass market than any others.
Explanation: The correct tense to use here is "dominated" because it refers to a past action (the domination of American films in world cinema) that started and ended in the past. The verb "have always been" is also in the correct tense because it refers to a past action (the success of American films in tapping a global mass market) that started in the past and is still ongoing in the present.
6. At the Labour Party conference, the chancellor attacked Oxford and Cambridge for taking half of their students from private schools.
Explanation: The correct tense to use here is "attacked" because it refers to a past action (the chancellor's attack on Oxford and Cambridge) that happened at a specific point in time in the past.
7. Those who agree with the chancellor's views that Oxford and Cambridge are biased towards children educated in expensive private schools sometimes claim that the proportion of Oxford's intake from private schools has gone up from 18% in 1970 to 49% now. But this is misleading. The proportion of students from state schools, now 42%, has hardly changed since 1970.
Explanation: The correct tense to use here is "has gone" because it refers to a past action (the increase in the proportion of Oxford's intake from private schools) that started in the past and is still ongoing in the present. The phrase "has hardly changed" is also in the correct tense because it refers to a past action (the lack of significant change in the proportion of students from state schools) that started in the past and is still ongoing in the present.