Question 79·Easy·Boundaries
Researcher Daniel Kim set out to determine how many hours of sleep _____ To collect accurate data, he surveyed more than five thousand adults. ЅАТ prер bу Anіko.аі
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For Standard English boundary questions like this, first decide whether the sentence is functioning as a statement or a question by identifying the main verb and purpose (here, describing what the researcher set out to determine). Then recognize whether the blank is part of a direct question or an indirect question/noun clause; indirect questions use normal statement word order (no subject–auxiliary inversion). Finally, pick the option that matches both the correct word order and the appropriate end punctuation for the whole sentence.
Hints
Look at the main verb before the blank
Focus on the phrase set out to determine how many hours of sleep ____. Is the writer asking a question to the reader, or describing what the researcher wanted to find out? Cоntеnt bу Aniko.аi
Think about direct vs. indirect questions
Compare a sentence like How many hours of sleep do adults need? to He wanted to know how many hours of sleep ____. How does the word order change when it is no longer a direct question?
Check the end punctuation
Should the entire first sentence end with a question mark or a period, given that it is describing a research goal? Choose the option whose punctuation matches that.
Step-by-step Explanation
Decide if the sentence is a question or a statement
Read the whole first sentence:
Researcher Daniel Kim set out to determine how many hours of sleep _____ To collect accurate data, he surveyed more than five thousand adults.
The main verb is set out to determine. That means the sentence is describing his goal, not asking a question directly. So the first sentence should be a statement, not a question.
Recognize this as an indirect question (a noun clause)
The blank completes the phrase how many hours of sleep ____. This is an indirect question (also called a noun clause) following the verb determine.
In English, indirect questions use statement word order, not question word order. For example:
- Direct question: How many hours of sleep do adults need?
- Indirect question: He wanted to know how many hours of sleep adults need.
Notice that in the indirect version, we do not use do adults need; we use adults need.
Match punctuation and word order to a statement
Because the whole sentence is a statement about his research goal, it should:
- Use statement word order: adults need to function well (no do before adults).
- End with a period, not a question mark.
The only choice that has statement word order and ends with a period is:
adults need to function well.