Question 194·Medium·Form, Structure, and Sense
Early in her career, journalist Ida B. Wells co-owned and edited The Free Speech and Headlight, a Memphis newspaper that condemned racial injustice. Unfortunately, for many years after its final issue was printed in 1892, there _____ any surviving copies of the newspaper.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For verb tense and agreement questions, first identify the real subject (even in sentences starting with "there"), then decide if it is singular or plural so you can rule out mismatched verb forms. Next, use time clues in the sentence—phrases like "for many years after 1892"—to determine whether you need simple past, present perfect, past perfect, or another tense. Eliminate any options that fail on either number agreement or appropriate tense; the remaining choice will usually fit both grammar and the sentence’s meaning.
Hints
Locate the true subject
In the clause "there _____ any surviving copies of the newspaper," which word is actually being counted—"there" or "copies"?
Check number (singular vs. plural)
Once you know the subject, decide if it is singular or plural. Then, eliminate any verb choices that do not match that number.
Use the time information
Focus on the phrase "for many years after its final issue was printed in 1892." Does this describe an action that continues up to now, or one that took place completely in the past? Which general verb tense matches that idea?
Match tense and meaning
Ask yourself: Do we need a simple past description of a past situation, or a perfect tense that connects either to the present or to another later past event? Use that to narrow the options.
Step-by-step Explanation
Find the real subject of the verb
Look at the clause with the blank: "there _____ any surviving copies of the newspaper."
In sentences that start with "there," the real subject comes after the verb. Here, the real subject is "copies", not "there." So the verb you choose must agree with copies.
Decide if the subject is singular or plural
The word "copies" refers to more than one copy, so it is plural. That means you must use a plural form of the verb (a form that matches a plural subject). Any choice that is clearly singular in form is incorrect.
Use the time phrase to choose the tense
The sentence says: "for many years after its final issue was printed in 1892."
This describes a time period entirely in the past—many years after 1892, not continuing up to today and not tied to a later past event in the sentence. That calls for the simple past tense, not present perfect ("has … been") and not past perfect ("had … been").
Now check each option:
- A) was not – simple past but singular, which does not agree with plural "copies."
- C) has not been – present perfect and singular, which does not match the past-only time frame or the plural subject.
- D) had not been – past perfect, which is usually used when another later past event is mentioned (for example, "there had not been any copies until historians found one"), but no such later event appears here.
Eliminate these options based on number (singular vs. plural) and tense (present/past perfect vs. simple past). You should be left with the only choice that is both plural and simple past.
State the correct answer
The only choice that is plural to match "copies" and in the simple past tense to match the completed time period after 1892 is "were not", so the sentence should read:
"Unfortunately, for many years after its final issue was printed in 1892, there were not any surviving copies of the newspaper."