Which tense to use for questions based on a story in present or past?

Question

Hi Teachers,Could you answer these 3 questions please?If I have a story in the simple present and present progressive ...1. Can I ask my students questions in the simple past and past progressive based on that story?2. Can I also ask them questions just in the simple present and present progressive based on that story?3. What if there are dialogues in the simple past and simple present, should I only use the tense in the dialogue to ask them the questions?Thanks in advance

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

It is hard to conceive.  I would like to see examples.

Mister Micawber · Answer

Hi Mister Micawber,
Thank you for your reply.
Questions 1 and 2
Two hundred miles away in London, Baxter’s train is standing at platform 9 in Paddington Station. Baxter’s sitting in a comfortable compartment. There is another man opposite him. Baxter doesn’t know the man, but he can see he wants to talk. The man’s holding a newspaper in his hands.

Where was Baxter's train standing?
What did the man want to do?
Where is Baxter's train standing?
What does the man want to do?

You can use either form as long as you are consistent. The past forms mirror the story, while the present forms consider the story itself as existing now.

Question 3
“You know, your clothes are in a terrible state,” the old lady said after the meal. “You ruined them when you had the accident!”
“That’s all right. They’re just my work clothes,” Coke answered.
“My husband was about your size. A little heavier perhaps. All his clothes are upstairs. They’re no good to him. He died two years ago.” She pointed up to the room above them.
“Why don’t you see if any of his clothes fit you? You can bring them back tomorrow.”

What did the old lady say after the meal?
What does the old lady say after the meal?

Both are fine, but be consistent (as I said above).

Mister Micawber · Answer

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Hi Mister Micawber,
Thank YOU for your reply. It is really helpful.
So, what is a wrong thing to do is to mix past and present tenses with questions to answer based on a text. If I use one tense for the questions, let's say present, I should use it for all the questions and if I use past only the past should be used. Am I right?-- Yes, except of course if the tenses recede within the text (as with past perfect, for instance)

Mister Micawber · Answer

So if I have any other tense, except present and past ones, I should ask the question in the tense given in that sentence. Right?-- Follow the same advice I gave you at the beginning, but if part of the text is in present and part is in past, you will have to adjust your verbs to maintain the same viewpoint.

Which tense to use for questions based on a story in present or past?

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