Which word completes the sentence: She ____ great difficulty getting her new passport because the office was shut?

• A. Had
• B. Has
• C. Having
• D. Have

Answer: (A)

The idea tested here is choosing the correct verb form to express a past experience. The sentence describes a past situation: she experienced great difficulty getting her passport because the office was shut. For a past experience with the verb to have, the natural choice is the past simple form: had. So the sentence reads, “She had great difficulty getting her new passport because the office was shut.”

Why this fits best: had is the correct past tense to match the time frame of the trouble she faced in the past. Using has would imply a present situation, which doesn’t align with the past reason clause. Having would require a different structure (it would start a participial phrase or need a different main verb). Have is the base form, which doesn’t agree with the subject in the past tense needed here.