Fill in the blank in the sentence given below by choosing the correct option out of those that follow.
At the time the phone rang, she ________ the table.

Correct option is B

The correct option to fill in the blank is (b) was laying.
Detailed Explanation (English):
• The sentence refers to a specific moment in the past: “At the time the phone rang”.
• The action “the phone rang” is a short, completed action in the past (Simple Past).
• The action of laying the table was already in progress at that moment.
• To describe an action that was ongoing at a particular time in the past, we use the Past Continuous Tense.
• Hence, “was laying” correctly fits the context.
Correct sentence: At the time the phone rang, she was laying the table.
Grammatical Rule Used (English):
• Past Continuous Tense is used to show an action that was in progress at a specific time in the past.
• It is often used when one past action interrupts another.
• Structure: was / were + verb + ing
Grammatical Rule Used (Hindi):
• Past Continuous Tense का प्रयोग उस क्रिया के लिए किया जाता है जो भूतकाल में किसी निश्चित समय पर चल रही थी।
• यह अक्सर Simple Past Tense के साथ प्रयोग होता है, जहाँ एक छोटी घटना चल रही क्रिया को बाधित करती है।
• संरचना: was / were + क्रिया का -ing रूप
Example: She was reading when the lights went out.