Question 15

John F. Kennedy was a senator before he was elected president in 1960.

John F. Kennedy was a senator before he was elected president in 1960. This construction correctly indicates the sequence of events, showing that his senatorial position preceded his election to the presidency.

A) Elected

The option "elected" does not fit grammatically in the sentence as it lacks the auxiliary verb needed to indicate the past action. The sentence requires a form that shows the completion of the action, which "was elected" provides.

B) Was electing

"Was electing" is in the progressive tense, which implies an ongoing action. This does not appropriately convey the completed event of his election to the presidency following his time as a senator, making it incorrect for the context of the sentence.

C) Was elected

This option is the correct choice because it uses the past passive form, indicating that Kennedy completed the action of being elected to the presidency after serving as a senator. This accurately reflects the historical timeline.

D) Had elected

"Had elected" suggests that Kennedy himself was the one performing the action of electing, which is not the intended meaning. This option incorrectly frames the sentence and does not align with the context of describing his election as a result of a voting process.

Conclusion

The correct answer, "was elected," clearly communicates the sequence of events in Kennedy's political career. All other options fail to convey the necessary grammatical structure or the correct context, making them unsuitable. Thus, "was elected" is the definitive choice for this sentence.