Task from a russian version of A-level exam

Question

None of the entrants___(win) the competition, but the couple pressed on and eventually got the backing of British Airways, who sponsored the project.

I don't know if the correct answer is "had won" or "won".
Please help. Thank you a lot.

Xerxes · Accepted Answer

AnonymousI don't know if the correct answer is "had won" or "won".

Depending on the point of reference (i.e. the time) of the narrative, it can be either. If the narrative is "linear" (i.e. first this happened, then that happened), only the simple past - "won" - is correct. For example:
There was a competition. None of the entrants won the competition, but the couple pressed on and eventually got the backing of British Airways, who sponsored the project.

But if, in narrating a past event (e.g. Event A), you have to go back in time to recount an event that occurred prior to Event A, you use the past perfect, i.e. "had won". For example:
There was a competition. When the competition was over and the results were announced, the couple was angry. None of the entrants had won the competition, but the couple pressed on and eventually got the backing of British Airways, who sponsored the project.

I hope you see what happened in the example above. You were narrating a series of events in the past when you had to go back to another, anterior point in the past (the entrants not winning the competition took place before the anger of the couple).

Without more context, I would say that "won" is the answer to your question.

CalifJim · Answer

Anonymous"had won" or "won"

won

CJ

GPY · Answer

Anonymous None of the entrants___(win) the competition, but the couple pressed on and eventually got the backing of British Airways, who sponsored the project.I don't know if the correct answer is "had won" or "won". Please help. Thank you a lot.

The argument for choosing "won" may be that it requires "less context", but this is not a strong enough reason to mark "had won" as incorrect (asuming there's no more information that you haven't told us). If only one is supposed to be correct then the question is faulty.

Task from a russian version of A-level exam

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