Question 29·Medium·Form, Structure, and Sense
Looking through decades-old shipping logs, ______ that the expedition’s cargo had mysteriously doubled in transit.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For Standard English sentence-completion questions, first identify the core structure of the sentence: look for introductory phrases, subjects, and verbs. Make sure that any opening modifier (like "Walking down the street" or "Looking through decades-old shipping logs") is immediately followed by the noun it logically describes, and avoid choices that make the modifier describe an abstract noun (like a belief or discovery) or a dummy subject (like "it"). Read each option in the full sentence, eliminating ones that cause dangling modifiers, awkward repetition, or extra commas, and choose the one that yields a clear, concise, and logically structured sentence.
Hints
Identify the main clause
After the introductory phrase "Looking through decades-old shipping logs," the blank needs to begin the main part of the sentence. Ask: what is the subject and verb that should come next?
Match the introductory phrase to a logical subject
Who is actually "looking through decades-old shipping logs"? Make sure the word right after the comma refers to that person, not to an abstract thing like a belief or a discovery.
Watch out for extra commas and repetition
Read each option in the sentence. Does it create a smooth, simple structure, or does it add awkward commas and repeat the idea that the cargo doubled?
Check for sentence completeness
With your chosen option inserted, is the result one clear, grammatically complete sentence, with no dangling modifier or confusing breaks?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the sentence structure
The sentence starts with an introductory phrase: "Looking through decades-old shipping logs," followed by a comma and a blank. After such an introductory phrase, we usually need a main clause that has a clear subject and verb to complete the sentence.
Match the modifier to the correct subject
The phrase "Looking through decades-old shipping logs" describes who is doing the looking. The noun that comes right after the comma should logically be the person doing that action, not an idea or thing. That means we want a person (like "maritime historian Carla Benson") as the subject immediately after the comma.
Check for dangling modifiers and logic
A dangling modifier happens when the introductory phrase describes someone or something that does not appear right after the comma. If the word after the comma is something like a "discovery," "doubling," or "belief," then the sentence would illogically suggest that those abstract nouns were "looking through logs," which makes no sense.
Choose the option that forms a clear, complete sentence
Test each choice in the blank:
- Eliminate any choice where the thing after the comma is not a person actually able to be "looking through" logs.
- Eliminate any choice that adds unnecessary commas or repeats the idea that the cargo doubled in a clumsy way.
Only "maritime historian Carla Benson discovered" creates a logical, complete sentence: "Looking through decades-old shipping logs, maritime historian Carla Benson discovered that the expedition’s cargo had mysteriously doubled in transit." This correctly links the action (looking) to the person (Carla Benson) and uses a clear verb (discovered).