Question 129·Hard·Form, Structure, and Sense
Neither the proliferation of low-cost streaming devices nor the emergence of virtual-reality headsets _____ the core allure of traditional cinema: gathering in a shared space to experience a story.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For subject–verb agreement questions, first locate the main subject and ignore extra phrases that come between the subject and the verb. With correlative conjunctions like neither...nor or either...or, remember that the verb usually agrees with the part of the subject closest to it. Decide if that nearby noun is singular or plural, then quickly eliminate any answer choices whose verbs don’t match in number; finally, check that the remaining choice has a tense that fits the time frame implied by the sentence (general truth, ongoing situation, past event, etc.).
Hints
Find the part of the sentence the verb must match
Ignore the descriptive phrases like "of low-cost streaming devices" and "of virtual-reality headsets." Focus on the main nouns joined by "Neither ... nor" and figure out which one is closest to the blank.
Decide if the nearby subject is singular or plural
Look at the noun right before the blank: is it talking about one thing or more than one thing? Your verb must match that number.
Use number to eliminate choices, then think about time
Once you know whether the verb should be singular or plural, cross out any choices that don’t match. From the remaining option(s), ask: which tense best describes a situation that has (or has not) changed up to the present?
Step-by-step Explanation
Locate the subject and the verb slot
The blank is the main verb of the sentence:
Neither the proliferation of low-cost streaming devices nor the emergence of virtual-reality headsets _____ the core allure of traditional cinema.
The entire subject is the long phrase starting with "Neither" and ending with "headsets." The verb in the blank must agree in number (singular or plural) with this subject.
Use the rule for "neither ... nor"
In constructions with neither ... nor, the verb usually agrees with the part of the subject that is closest to the verb.
Here, that part is "the emergence of virtual-reality headsets".
- The head noun is emergence, which is singular.
So the verb phrase in the blank must be singular as well.
Eliminate choices that don’t match the singular subject
Now check each option for subject–verb agreement:
- have diminished: uses have, which is plural.
- diminish: base form, used with plural subjects (or after "to" or "did"); a singular simple present form would be diminishes.
- were diminishing: were is plural.
All of these fail to match the singular subject. Only one option provides a singular verb form.
Check tense and meaning, then confirm the answer
The sentence is making a general statement about the present: modern technologies up to now have not reduced the appeal of going to the movies. A present perfect verb (has + past participle) expresses this "up to now" idea.
The only choice that is both singular and in the present perfect tense is "has diminished", so the correct answer is B) has diminished.