What were people doing- Past Continuous trivia quiz

What were people doing Past Continuous trivia quiz

Student A

Work in groups with one Student A worksheet and one Student B worksheet. Read through your worksheet but don’t show it to the person who has the other version. Ask one of your questions, give three possible answers (including the correct one which is there) and see if your partner can guess the right answer. All three hints and your partner’s answer must be full sentences like those below. Guess the answer to your partner’s question in the same way, then take turns doing the same thing until your teacher stops you.

• What was Bette Nesmith Graham doing when she created correction fluid (like Tippex, White Out and Liquid Paper)? She was working as a typist.
• What Spencer Silver doing when he invented Post It notes? He was trying to develop a strong glue.
• What was Alexander Fleming doing when penicillin grew in his lab and showed that it could kill bacteria? He was taking a vacation.
• What was Percy Spencer doing when he discovered that microwaves can heat food? He was walking past a radar machine with a chocolate bar in his pocket.
• What was the American military pilot Thomas Mantell doing when his plane crashed? He was chasing a UFO.
• What was lawyer Garry Hoy when he fell through the window on the 24^th floor of the Toronto-Dominion Centre? He was trying to show that the windows were unbreakable.
• What was Brazilian João Maria de Souza doing when a cow fell on him and crushed him to death? He was sleeping in his bed.
• Who was driving the Uber which hit and killed Elaine Herzberg in Arizona in 2018? Nobody was./ A computer was.
• What was Alexander Litvinenko doing when he was poisoned by radioactive polonium-210? He was drinking tea.
• What was American civil rights activist Martin Luther King doing when he was shot dead? He was standing on the balcony of his hotel.
• What was basketball player Kobe Bryant doing when he died? He was flying in a helicopter.
• What was Elvis Presley doing when he died? He was sitting on the toilet.
• What was King Richard I (Richard Lionheart) doing when his brother John tried to take over the country? He was fighting in Palestine on the Third Crusade.
• What was Queen Elizabeth II doing when she learned that her father had died and so she had become Queen? She was travelling in Kenya.
• What was the famous Hollywood actor Jennifer Lawrence doing when she was approached by a talent agent? She was walking down the street.

 

Past Continuous grammar presentation

In the questions, what are the two tenses, and how are their meanings different?

Which is the longer action which started first?

Make up similar questions about things that happened to you such as accidents that you have had.

 

Student B

Work in groups with one Student A worksheet and one Student B worksheet. Read through your worksheet but don’t show it to the person who has the other version. Ask one of your questions, give three possible answers (including the correct one which is there) and see if your partner can guess the right answer. All three hints and your partner’s answer must be full sentences like those below. Guess the answer to your partner’s question in the same way, then take turns doing the same thing until your teacher stops you.

• What was the Ethiopian Kaldi doing when he discovered that coffee can keep you awake? He was herding goats who had eaten coffee beans.
• What was George de Mestral doing when he thought of making Velcro? He was cleaning plants off his clothes and his dog.
• What was John Pemberton trying to do when he made Coca Cola? He was trying to make a headache cure.
• What was Archimedes doing when he made a scientific discovery, shouted Eureka and then ran down the street? He was taking a bath.
• What was Robert Williams doing when he became the first person to be killed by a robot? He was working in a Ford car factory.
• What was Alberto Fargo of Lisbon, Portugal doing when he fell out of a 5^th storey window? He was demonstrating how to dance tango.
• What was Chinese chef Peng Fan doing when he was fatally bitten by a snake? He was cooking its body.
• Who was driving James Campbell’s car when it ran him over and killed him? His dog was.
• What was JFK (= President Kennedy) doing when he was shot dead? He was travelling in an open top car (in Dallas, Texas).
• What was President Abraham Lincoln doing when he was shot dead? He was watching a play in the theatre.
• What was English king William II doing when he was shot dead by an arrow? He was hunting.
• What was British comedian Tommy Cooper doing when he died? He was performing on stage.
• What was actor James Dean doing when he died? He was driving a sports car.
• What was George W Bush doing when he heard about the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York? He was visiting a school.
• What was Hollywood actor Chris Pratt doing when he was discovered? He was waiting tables in Bubba Gump shrimp restaurant.

 

Past Continuous grammar presentation

In the questions, what are the two tenses, and how are their meanings different?

Which is the longer action which started first?

Make up similar questions about things that happened to you such as accidents that you have had.