Take a look at the sentence again:
The telephone __________ twelve times before Pablo would lift the receiver.
He prayed the call was from a salesperson and not his psycho ex-girlfriend
Maria.
The sentence requires the simple past of ring, an irregular verb. Rang is the simple past form.
| Verb | Simple Present | Simple Past | Past Participle |
| ring | ring(s) | rang | rung |
Rung, the form you chose, is the past participle. This form requires an auxiliary verb which the sentence does not provide. Before you continue, review the rules for irregular verbs.
Try again to escape Grammar Hell!