What were people doing- Past Continuous trivia quiz

What were people doing- Past Continuous trivia quiz
Student A
Work in groups with one Student A worksheet and one Student B worksheet. Ask one of
your questions, give three possible answers (including the correct one which is there) and
see if your partner can guess the right answer. All three hints and your partner’s answer
must be full sentences like those below. Guess the answer to your partner’s question in
the same way, then take turns doing the same thing until your teacher stops you.
 What was Bette Nesmith Graham doing when she created correction fluid (like Tippex,

White Out and Liquid Paper)? She was working as a typist.

 What Spencer Silver doing when he invented Post It notes? He was trying to develop

a strong glue.

 What was Alexander Fleming doing when penicillin grew in his lab and showed that it

could kill bacteria? He was taking a vacation.

 What was Percy Spencer doing when he discovered that microwaves can heat food?

He was walking past a radar machine with a chocolate bar in his pocket.

 What was the American military pilot Thomas Mantell doing when his plane crashed?

He was chasing a UFO.

 What was lawyer Garry Hoy when he fell through the window on the 24

th

floor of the

Toronto-Dominion Centre? He was trying to show that the windows were unbreakable.

 What was Brazilian João Maria de Souza doing when a cow fell on him and crushed

him to death? He was sleeping in his bed.

 Who was driving the Uber which hit and killed Elaine Herzberg in Arizona in 2018?

Nobody was./ A computer was.

 What was Alexander Litvinenko doing when he was poisoned by radioactive polonium-

210? He was drinking tea.



What was American civil rights activist Martin Luther King doing when he was shot dead? He was
standing on the balcony of his hotel.

 What was basketball player Kobe Bryant doing when he died? He was flying in a heli -

copter.

 What was Elvis Presley doing when he died? He was sitting on the toilet.
 What was King Richard I (Richard Lionheart) doing when his brother John tried to take

over the country? He was fighting in Palestine on the Third Crusade.

 What was Queen Elizabeth II doing when she learned that her father had died and so

she had become Queen? She was travelling in Kenya.

 What was the famous Hollywood actor Jennifer Lawrence doing when she was ap -

proached by a talent agent? She was walking down the street.

Past Continuous grammar presentation
In the questions, what are the two tenses, and how are their meanings different?

Which is the longer action which started first?

Make up similar questions about things that happened to you such as accidents that you
have had.

p. 1

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2021

Student B
Work in groups with one Student A worksheet and one Student B worksheet. Ask one of
your questions, give three possible answers (including the correct one which is there) and
see if your partner can guess the right answer. All three hints and your partner’s answer
must be full sentences like those below. Guess the answer to your partner’s question in
the same way, then take turns doing the same thing until your teacher stops you.
 What was the Ethiopian Kaldi doing when he discovered that coffee can keep you

awake? He was herding goats who had eaten coffee beans.

 What was George de Mestral doing when he thought of making Velcro? He was clean -

ing plants off his clothes and his dog.

 What was John Pemberton trying to do when he made Coca Cola? He was trying to

make a headache cure.

 What was Archimedes doing when he made a scientific discovery, shouted Eureka and

then ran down the street? He was taking a bath.

 What was Robert Williams doing when he became the first person to be killed by a ro -

bot? He was working in a Ford car factory.

 What was Alberto Fargo of Lisbon, Portugal doing when he fell out of a 5

th

storey win-

dow? He was demonstrating how to dance tango.

 What was Chinese chef Peng Fan doing when he was fatally bitten by a snake? He

was cooking its body.

 Who was driving James Campbell’s car when it ran him over and killed him? His dog

was.

 What was JFK (= President Kennedy) doing when he was shot dead? He was travel -

ling in an open top car (in Dallas, Texas).

 What was President Abraham Lincoln doing when he was shot dead? He was watch-

ing a play in the theatre.

 What was English king William II doing when he was shot dead by an arrow? He was

hunting.

 What was British comedian Tommy Cooper doing when he died? He was performing

on stage.

 What was actor James Dean doing when he died? He was driving a sports car.
 What was George W Bush doing when he heard about the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the

World Trade Centre in New York? He was visiting a school.

 What was Hollywood actor Chris Pratt doing when he was discovered? He was waiting

tables in Bubba Gump shrimp restaurant.

Past Continuous grammar presentation
In the questions, what are the two tenses, and how are their meanings different?

Which is the longer action which started first?

Make up similar questions about things that happened to you such as accidents that you
have had.

p. 2

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2021