WAEC 2018 English Language · Question 77

If Musa had woken up earlier, he … breakfast.

Question

From the words or group of words lettered A to D, choose the word or group of words that best completes each of the following sentences.  If Musa had woken up earlier, he ______ breakfast.

  1. A.would not have missed
  2. B.ought not to miss.
  3. C.shall have missed
  4. D.may have missed

Answer: A. would not have missed

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Step 1: Analyze the question The sentence is "If Musa had woken up earlier, he __ breakfast." The "if" clause uses the past perfect (had woken up), which signals a Third Conditional. This type of sentence talks about an unreal situation in the past, something that did not happen, and its imagined result.

Step 2: The concept Third Conditional structure:

If + past perfect, subject + would/could/might + have + past participle

Example: If I had studied harder, I would have passed.

Step 3: Test each option

  • A. would not have missed: Correct structure (would + have + past participle). The meaning is logical: if Musa had woken up earlier, he would not have missed breakfast. This implies he woke up late and missed it.
  • B. ought not to miss: Wrong form. It does not follow the third conditional pattern and does not fit the past time.
  • C. shall have missed: "Shall have" is a future perfect form and does not match a past unreal condition.
  • D. may have missed: This expresses possibility, but it makes no logical sense here. Waking up earlier would not make him more likely to miss breakfast.

Step 4: Answer The correct option is A. would not have missed.

Tip: When you see "if + had + past participle", look for "would (not) have + past participle" in the main clause. Eliminate any option with shall, ought to, or a present or future form right away.

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