Institution: Non Government Teachers Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA) Exam: ১৮ তম শিক্ষক নিবন্ধন পরীক্ষা (স্কুল পর্যায়) (15-03-2024) || 2024
Topic: Right Form of Verb, Subject: English Grammar (ইংরেজি গ্রামার)

Best Answer Explained in Below-:

The sentence "My uncle arrived while I (cook) the dinner" requires a verb form that indicates an ongoing action happening at the same time as another past action. The correct answer, "was cooking," is in the past continuous tense, which effectively conveys this meaning.

When we use the past continuous tense ("was cooking"), it highlights that the action of cooking was ongoing when your uncle's arrival interrupted it. This structure is commonly used in English to set the scene for an event that occurred during another action, indicating that the first action (cooking) was already in progress.

Let’s analyze the other options:
- A) "would cook" is in the future-in-the-past form and does not convey the ongoing action.
- B) "had cooked" is in the past perfect tense, which indicates a completed action before another past action and does not fit the context.
- C) "cook" is in the simple present tense, which is not appropriate for a past event.

Therefore, "was cooking" is the only option that correctly describes an action in progress at the time of another event—your uncle’s arrival.