Question

which sentence is in the present tense?
marta had fallen asleep on her math text; both her face and the pages were left creased and damp.
i am hoping i can figure out who the murderer is.
grandpa has checked out every book on world war ii in the library, some of them twice!
open cookbooks and a thin coating of flour covered the table.
the movement of the progress bar may be uneven because questions can be worth more or less (including zero) depending on your answer.

Explanation:

To determine the present - tense sentence, we analyze each option:

• For "Marta had fallen asleep...", the verb "had fallen" is in the past perfect tense, which is used to describe an action that was completed before another past action.
• For "I am hoping...", the verb "am hoping" is in the present continuous tense. The present continuous tense is a form of the present tense. It is used to describe an action that is happening at the moment of speaking or around the present time.
• For "Grandpa has checked...", the verb "has checked" is in the present perfect tense, which is used to describe an action that started in the past and has a connection to the present.
• For "Open cookbooks...", this is an imperative sentence (a command) and is in the present tense form of a command, but the main verb "open" here is in the base form (imperative mood). However, when comparing with the other options, "I am hoping I can figure out who the murderer is" has a verb phrase ("am hoping") that is clearly in the present tense (present continuous) to show an action or state in the present.

Answer:

The sentence "I am hoping I can figure out who the murderer is" (the third option) is in the present tense.