Topic: Group verb,

Best Answer Explained in Below-:

The correct answer, A) ran/was going, fits naturally into the sentence due to the correct use of verb tenses that convey a consistent sequence of events. The first part of the sentence "when I --- into him on the street" describes a past event, which requires the simple past tense. Therefore, "ran" is appropriate as it indicates that this encounter occurred at a specific moment in the past.

The second part of the sentence, "he said he ----- abroad for business affairs that evening," requires a tense that appropriately reflects a future intention from a past perspective. The phrase "was going" serves this function well; it suggests that, at the time of their encounter, the other person expressed a plan or an arrangement for a future event occurring later that same evening. This combination successfully maintains the past narrative context while simultaneously conveying future plans.

In contrast, the other options disrupt the time sequence. For instance, "will run/would go" (B) introduces an inappropriate future condition, while "had run/is going" (C) and "have run/will be going" (D) misalign the tenses, leading to confusion regarding the timing of events. Thus, A) ran/was going is the only option that maintains clarity and coherence in the narrative.