Question 145·Easy·Form, Structure, and Sense
Wangari Maathai, an environmental activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, ______ the Green Belt Movement in Kenya in 1977, inspiring the planting of millions of trees across the country.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For verb tense questions, first find any time clues (like "in 1977," "today," or "by then") and decide what time and aspect they imply: a completed action at a specific past moment usually calls for simple past. Then check subject–verb agreement, especially when helping verbs (have/has/had, was/were) are involved. Finally, choose the option that expresses the action in the simplest, grammatically consistent way that matches both the time clue and the subject.
Hints
Focus on the time phrase
Look closely at the phrase "in 1977." What kind of time does that describe: ongoing, repeated, or a single completed moment in the past?
Think about verb tense
For a single, completed action at a specific time in the past, which tense does English usually use: present perfect, past progressive, past perfect, or simple past?
Check the helping verbs
Pay attention to any extra words like "have," "was," or "had" before the verb. Do you actually need a helping verb here, and if so, does it agree with the singular subject "Wangari Maathai"?
Match the tense to the context
Ask yourself which choice states, in the simplest and most direct way, that Maathai completed the act of starting the Green Belt Movement in 1977.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify what the blank needs
The blank must be filled with a verb phrase that connects the subject "Wangari Maathai" to the object "the Green Belt Movement" and fits the time reference "in 1977." This is a question about verb tense and subject–verb agreement.
Use the time clue to choose the tense
The phrase "in 1977" shows a specific, finished time in the past. For a completed action at a specific point in the past, English normally uses the simple past tense, not present perfect or past progressive, and not past perfect unless it’s being compared to another past action.
Check subject–verb agreement and form
The subject "Wangari Maathai" is singular, so any helping verb must match a singular subject, and the main verb form must match the tense you identified. Eliminate any options whose helping verbs do not agree with a singular subject or whose tense/aspect does not fit a single completed action in 1977.
Select the only fitting option
Among the choices, only "founded" is a simple past form that correctly describes a completed action in 1977 and agrees with the singular subject, so "founded" is the correct answer.