Question 236·Medium·Form, Structure, and Sense
The townsfolk initially opposed the construction of the new wind farm, but since its release last month, the detailed environmental report ______ many of their concerns.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For verb-formation questions, first isolate the clause with the blank and identify its subject; decide whether that subject is singular or plural. Next, look at time clues (such as "since," specific past times, or ongoing actions) to choose the correct tense (simple present, past, present perfect, etc.). Eliminate any -ing forms that would leave a fragment and any choices that do not agree in number with the subject. When a time phrase like "since last month" appears, strongly consider present perfect and make sure the helping verb ("has" vs. "have") matches the subject.
Hints
Identify the subject of the blank
Look at the words right before the blank: what noun is the subject of the verb that goes in the blank, and is that noun singular or plural?
Decide which verb forms can act as the main verb
Ask yourself which choices can serve as the main verb of the clause "the detailed environmental report ____ many of their concerns" and which would leave the sentence as a fragment.
Use the time phrase "since its release last month"
Think about what verb tense is usually used when something started in the past (last month) and its effects continue up to now.
Check agreement one more time
Once you pick the tense that matches the time clue, make sure the helping verb agrees with the singular subject "report." Singular subjects and plural subjects do not use the same helping verbs.
Step-by-step Explanation
Locate the subject and clause structure
Focus on the clause after the comma: "the detailed environmental report ______ many of their concerns." This is a complete clause and needs a normal (finite) verb to form the predicate of the subject "the detailed environmental report." That means the correct choice must function as the main verb of the sentence, not just a verb form that would leave a fragment.
Eliminate forms that cannot be main verbs here
Choice A, "alleviating," is an -ing form (a present participle). Used alone like this, it does not serve as the main verb after the subject; it would leave the sentence as a fragment: "the detailed environmental report alleviating many of their concerns" is not a complete sentence. So A cannot be correct.
Check subject–verb agreement (singular vs. plural)
The subject is "report," which is singular. A singular subject must take a singular verb form. That means:
- A singular present simple form would be "alleviates."
- A singular present perfect form would be "has" plus a past participle. A plural form like "have alleviated" does not agree with the singular subject "report" and should be eliminated.
Use the time clue to pick the correct tense
The phrase "since its release last month" tells you the action started in the past and has effects continuing to the present. English typically uses the present perfect for this pattern ("has" or "have" + past participle) rather than the simple present. Between the remaining options, the only one that both agrees with the singular subject and matches this time frame is "has alleviated", so the complete sentence is: "... since its release last month, the detailed environmental report has alleviated many of their concerns."