The plane took off … — choose the word or group of words that best completes each of the following sentences

Analyze the question: The sentence is "The plane took off ..................." The verb "took off" is in the simple past tense, so we need a time expression that fits a completed action in the past.

Concept: "Ago" is used with the simple past tense to show how far back in time a finished action happened (e.g., "She left two hours ago"). Other options usually clash with the tense or meaning:

• "since + time period" is wrong. "Since" is used with a point in time (e.g., since 5 o'clock) and normally goes with the present perfect, as in "has been gone since 5 o'clock." "Since five minutes" is also ungrammatical.
• "in the past five minutes" goes with the present perfect (e.g., "The plane has taken off in the past five minutes"), not the simple past.
• "by five minutes" shows a margin or difference (e.g., "He missed the flight by five minutes"). It does not locate an action in time.

Solution:

• Tense: simple past ("took off") → needs a past time marker.
• "Five minutes ago" is a correct past time expression.
• Sentence: "The plane took off five minutes ago." ✔

Answer: B. five minutes ago

Tip: Simple past goes with ago, yesterday, and last week. Present perfect goes with since, for, and in the past.... When you see "took," "went," or "left," look for "ago."