If she _ earlier, she would have caught the bus.
Correct answer: C. Had arrived
- A. Arrived
- B. Arrives
- C. Had arrived
- D. Has arrived
Explanation
The correct answer is had arrived because the sentence is an example of a third conditional, which is used to talk about an unreal situation in the past. The structure of a third conditional sentence is: 'If + past perfect, would have + past participle'. In this sentence, 'If she had arrived earlier, she would have caught the bus', the condition (arriving earlier) did not happen, so the result (catching the bus) did not occur. The other options do not fit this structure: 'arrived' is simple past, 'arrives' is present simple, and 'has arrived' is present perfect, none of which are suitable for this past unreal situation.
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