The correct answer is: A. he may steal the watch
The sentence “I had a strange intrusion that he will steal the watch” is in the past tense, so the correct verb tense to use is the past modal verb “may.” The past modal verb “may” expresses possibility or permission. In this case, the speaker is expressing the possibility that the man will steal the watch.
The other options are incorrect because they do not express possibility. Option B, “he would steal the watch,” is in the past indicative tense, which is used to express facts or events that happened in the past. Option C, “he will be stealing the watch,” is in the present progressive tense, which is used to express actions that are happening now or will happen in the future. Option D, “No correction required,” is incorrect because the sentence does need to be corrected.
Here are some examples of how the past modal verb “may” can be used:
- You may leave now. (permission)
- It may rain tomorrow. (possibility)
- I may go to the store later. (uncertainty)