were vs have been

[Unregistered]

Hi...

The US warns al-Qaeda may be planning an attack in Yemen's capital, where the US and UK embassies _______ shut.

a) were
b) have been

Please, could you tell which one is right and why?

Thank you so much.

 

[TheParser]

Hi...

The US warns al-Qaeda may be planning an attack in Yemen's capital, where the US and UK embassies _______ shut.

a) were
b) have been

Please, could you tell which one is right and why?

Thank you so much.

***NOT A TEACHER*** I choose "have been," for it just happened recently.

 

[nuharani]

Hi...

The US warns al-Qaeda may be planning an attack in Yemen's capital, where the US and UK embassies _______ shut.

a) were
b) have been

Please, could you tell which one is right and why?

Thank you so much.

We can use were shut, it means that know we find the embassy is shut now, no one can be found. But when we say have been shut, it means that one day the embassy will be open.

 

[bhaisahab]

Hi...

The US warns al-Qaeda may be planning an attack in Yemen's capital, where the US and UK embassies _______ shut.

a) were
b) have been

Please, could you tell which one is right and why?

Thank you so much.

"Have been shut" is correct, it means that at some time in the recent past they were closed and they remain closed at the moment. If you use "were" it means that in the past they were closed, it doesn't say whether or not they are closed now.

 

[Offroad]

Simple past turns out to be an ambiguous option [like in most cases they fight over AmE vs BrE differences], present perfect states the meaning is clear.