Question 100·Easy·Form, Structure, and Sense
After completing a year of volunteer work in rural clinics, _____
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For questions with an introductory phrase (like "After...," "While...," "Because..."), first decide who or what that phrase is describing, then make sure the word right after the comma is that doer. Eliminate any choice where the introductory phrase seems to modify the wrong noun (a dangling modifier), and among the remaining options, choose the clearest, most concise active-voice sentence that follows normal Standard English word order.
Hints
Match the doer of the action
Focus on the phrase "After completing a year of volunteer work in rural clinics,". Who is actually completing that work? Look for the choice that makes this clear right after the comma.
Avoid dangling modifiers
In good sentences, an introductory phrase like "After completing..." should clearly describe the subject that immediately follows the comma. Eliminate any choice where the thing after the comma could not logically have done the volunteer work.
Prefer clear and active wording
Between answers that are technically possible, prefer the one that is clear and in active voice, instead of awkward or heavily passive constructions.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the introductory phrase
Look at the beginning of the sentence: "After completing a year of volunteer work in rural clinics,". This introductory phrase describes who did the volunteer work. In standard English, the noun that the phrase describes should come immediately after the comma.
Identify who logically did the volunteer work
Ask yourself: who completed a year of volunteer work in rural clinics? It must be a person, not an abstract thing like "confidence" or an object like "medical school" or "application." Among the answer choices, the only possible person is Priya.
Eliminate choices that cause a dangling modifier
A dangling modifier happens when an introductory phrase seems to describe the wrong noun.
- If the sentence continues with "New confidence...", it makes it sound like confidence completed the volunteer work.
- If it continues with "Medical school was applied to..." or "The application...was submitted...", it makes it sound like medical school or the application completed the volunteer work. All of these are illogical, so those options must be wrong.
Choose the clear, active, and grammatical completion
The remaining option starts with the person who actually completed the volunteer work, Priya, immediately after the comma and uses straightforward active voice: "Priya applied to medical school with new confidence." This makes the meaning clear and follows Standard English conventions, so it is the correct answer.