Select the most appropriate option to substitute the highlighted segment in the given sentence. If there is no need to substitute it, select ‘no substitution required’.
There were many candidates that finish the test much before the allotted time.

Correct option is B

The correct substitution of the highlighted words is (b) who finished.
Explanation: The given sentence is in past tense (“There were many candidates...”). Hence, the verb in the relative clause should also be in past tense. The relative pronoun ‘who’ is used for people instead of ‘that’. Therefore, “who finished” correctly links the clause and maintains the tense consistency.
Grammatical rule used:
· Use ‘who’ for persons, ‘which’ for things, and ‘that’ for both in informal speech.
· Maintain tense consistency in relative clauses.
· Example: The students who studied hard passed the exam easily.
· Information booster: In formal writing, ‘who’ is always preferred over ‘that’ when referring to human beings.