From the alternatives provided in the question below select the one which most appropriately completes the sentence:

Leonard: We went to a hotel and had a very good dinner for N1.00. Geoffrey: You .... a very good dinner if you paid N1.00

  • A must had had
  • B needn't have had
  • C couldn't have had
  • D had to have
  • E have had

The correct answer is C. couldn't have had

The sentence is expressing a past unreal condition. This means that something did not happen or was not true in the past. 

To form a past unreal condition, we use the past perfect tense in the if-clause and the modal verb could + have + past participle in the main clause. 

The modal verb "could" expresses a possibility or ability that did not exist in the past. 

For example, "If I had studied harder, I could have passed the exam." This means that I did not study hard and I did not pass the exam. 

In our case, Leonard is saying that he had a very good dinner for N1.00, which is unlikely or impossible. Geoffrey is doubting Leonard's statement and saying that he could not have had a very good dinner for such a low price

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