Question 72·Hard·Form, Structure, and Sense
An array of groundbreaking studies on climate feedback loops, along with their intricate data visualizations, ______ been archived in an open-access repository to encourage further interdisciplinary research.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For subject–verb agreement questions, first strip away prepositional phrases and extra details (such as "of ..." or "along with ...") to reveal the core subject and verb. Decide whether the subject is singular or plural, then eliminate any answer choices that don’t match that number. Finally, check that the remaining choice forms a grammatically correct and natural-sounding verb phrase with the surrounding words, especially when helping verbs like "has," "have," or "is" are involved.
Hints
Locate the main subject
Cover up or ignore the phrase "of groundbreaking studies on climate feedback loops, along with their intricate data visualizations" and see what the basic subject of the sentence is.
Check subject–verb number agreement
Once you know the main subject, decide if it is singular or plural. The verb in the blank must match that number.
Look at the verb phrase after the blank
The word after the blank is "been." Think about which helping verb (auxiliary) normally comes before "been" in correct English sentences like "_____ been archived."
Eliminate options that break the sentence
Say each choice in place of the blank out loud with the subject and "been archived." Cross out any option that sounds ungrammatical or mismatched to the subject.
Step-by-step Explanation
Find the true subject of the sentence
Ignore the extra information and focus on the core of the sentence.
- Full beginning: "An array of groundbreaking studies on climate feedback loops, along with their intricate data visualizations, ______ been archived..."
- The head noun (main subject) is "array".
- "of groundbreaking studies on climate feedback loops" is a prepositional phrase describing array.
- "along with their intricate data visualizations" is additional, nonessential information.
So the subject is singular: an array.
Decide whether the verb should be singular or plural
Because the subject "An array" is singular, the verb must be singular as well.
Even though "studies" and "data visualizations" are plural words inside modifying phrases, they do not control the verb. Only the main subject "array" matters for subject–verb agreement.
Notice the verb phrase structure
The blank comes right before "been archived," which is the past participle form used in perfect passive constructions:
- We need a helping verb (auxiliary) that correctly completes the verb phrase: ___ been archived.
- In standard English, that will be a form of "have" that matches the subject in number: singular subject → singular form of "have".
Test each option with the subject and verb phrase
Now plug each option into the core sentence and check for agreement and correctness:
- "An array ... have been archived" → uses a plural verb with a singular subject: incorrect.
- "An array ... having been archived" → breaks the sentence structure; "having" here does not act as a main verb.
- "An array ... is been archived" → ungrammatical verb phrase in English.
- "An array ... has been archived" → uses the correct singular auxiliary verb and forms a proper present perfect passive.
Therefore, the correct answer is A) has.