Question 219·Hard·Form, Structure, and Sense
Wrapping up a months-long investigation, ______ compiled their findings into a 200-page report for the city council.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For this type of Standard English convention question, first identify the grammatical role of the blank (subject, object, etc.). Then check agreement with nearby verbs and pronouns (singular vs. plural) and make sure any introductory phrase correctly and logically describes the noun you choose. Quickly plug each option into the sentence in your head; eliminate any choice that creates a subject that cannot logically perform the action or that causes pronoun or number disagreement.
Hints
Find the role of the blank
Ask yourself: in this sentence, is the blank supposed to be a subject, an object, or something else? Look at the verb that comes right after it.
Use the pronoun "their" as a clue
The phrase after the blank is "compiled their findings." What kind of noun would make sense with the plural possessive pronoun "their"?
Connect the introductory phrase to the subject
The opening phrase "Wrapping up a months-long investigation" must logically describe the same thing that fills the blank. Which option could realistically wrap up an investigation and then compile findings?
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify what the blank is doing in the sentence
Look at the structure: "Wrapping up a months-long investigation, ______ compiled their findings into a 200-page report for the city council."
- The word in the blank is the subject of the verb "compiled."
- It also must be the thing that is "wrapping up a months-long investigation."
Check the pronoun and verb agreement
The sentence continues with "compiled their findings."
- The verb "compiled" is past tense and works with either singular or plural, so verb form alone doesn’t decide it.
- But the possessive pronoun "their" is plural, so the subject in the blank should logically be something plural that can have findings.
Use the introductory phrase to guide the subject
The phrase "Wrapping up a months-long investigation" at the beginning must logically describe the noun in the blank.
- Whoever or whatever goes in the blank must be able to conduct and wrap up an investigation and then compile findings.
- That means it should be a group of people (or similar), not an object or the findings themselves.
Test each answer choice for grammar and logic
Plug in each option:
- "Wrapping up a months-long investigation, a 200-page report compiled their findings..." A report can’t wrap up an investigation or compile findings, and "their" doesn’t match the singular "report."
- "Wrapping up a months-long investigation, the findings compiled their findings..." Findings don’t compile themselves.
- "Wrapping up a months-long investigation, it compiled their findings..." "It" is singular but "their" is plural, and "it" doesn’t clearly refer to anything.
- Only "the investigators" are people who could wrap up an investigation and compile their findings, and "investigators" matches the plural pronoun "their." So the correct answer is "the investigators."