Choose the most appropriate alternative from the options given below to complete the following sentence: Food prices ___ again this month. A. have raised B. have been raising C. have been rising D. have arose

GATE 2012 · General Aptitude · Tenses · medium

Answer: C. have been rising

1. Determine correct verb: rise vs raise: Prices go up by themselves — no external agent acts on them in this sentence. So the intransitive verb 'rise' is required, eliminating Options A (raised) and B (raising). Option D uses 'arose' which is past tense of 'arise' (to occur/emerge), incorrect for price movement.
2. Determine correct tense: present perfect continuous: 'This month' indicates a period that started in the past and includes the present moment. The present perfect continuous 'have been rising' correctly expresses a continuing trend within this current month.
3. Confirm the answer: 'Food prices have been rising again this month.' — grammatically correct (intransitive 'rise') and semantically appropriate (ongoing trend within the current month).