Choose the most suitable option to fill in the blank.

It is a maritime tradition and a naval custom according to which many Indian Naval ships ______ named after prominent cities, mountain ranges, rivers, ponds and islands.

Correct option is A

Explanation:

The correct answer is have been.

In this sentence, we are dealing with a present perfect tense construction. The phrase "have been" is used because it refers to an action or tradition that began in the past and continues to the present, and it involves a plural subject ("many Indian Naval ships"). The present perfect tense is appropriate here to indicate that the naming of ships has been a continuous tradition over time.

Information Booster:

Present Perfect Tense (have been):

The present perfect tense is used to express actions or situations that began in the past and have relevance to the present.

It’s formed using the auxiliary verb "have" (for plural subjects) + the past participle of the main verb (in this case, "been").

Example: "They have been friends for years."

Here, "have been" implies the tradition of naming ships after prominent places has been ongoing and still continues.

Context of the Sentence:
The sentence refers to a tradition (something that has been happening over time) of naming naval ships after geographical features. This suggests that the action of naming ships began in the past and continues, which requires the present perfect tense.

Structure of the Sentence:
The subject is "many Indian Naval ships" (plural), so we use "have been". The verb "named" is a past participle, and the sentence structure implies an action that is still relevant today, hence the use of present perfect tense.