Explanation:
> "____ listening to the news when I came in."

The sentence describes an ongoing action at the time of the speaker's arrival, suggesting a situation where someone or something was engaged in an activity (listening to the news).

Now, let's analyze the options:

- A. There were — This is used for plural subjects. "Listening to the news" is a singular activity, so this doesn't fit. Incorrect.
- B. There was — This fits well with the singular activity of "listening to the news." The correct structure is "There was listening." Correct.
- C. It was — This would imply that "it" is a subject doing the listening, but the sentence is structured differently. Incorrect.
- D. There are going to be — This refers to a future event and doesn't fit with the past tense context. Incorrect.
- E. They were — This suggests multiple people were listening, but the sentence doesn’t imply that. Incorrect.