A verb question with words after the blank tests agreement and how the whole verb works. Read around the blank to see which words belong to the verb phrase. Then find the true subject by crossing out phrases and extra information. One thing takes a singular verb, and more than one takes a plural verb. Read the full verb phrase together: it needs a verb that shows tense, and any helping verbs must work with the forms that follow them.
Hints
- Hint 1
Start with the words after the blank. Does the sentence already have a complete verb, or does the blank need to supply one?
- Hint 2
Cross out the words between the commas, then set aside the phrase beginning with of. What noun is left to control the verb?
- Hint 3
Test the blank and the words after it together. Which verb form can come directly before been while matching the subject you found?
Step-by-step
Find the subject and complete the verb
Step 1Check for a verb that shows tense
The words been archived follow the blank, so start by checking whether the verb is complete. Is there already a verb that shows tense? No: those words don't show tense by themselves, and to encourage only says why the material was archived. The blank needs a verb that shows tense, and the -ing form having on its own can't supply one.
- Step 2
Find the true subject
What was archived? Set aside along with their intricate data visualizations, because along with adds information rather than joining another noun to the subject the way and does. Then cross out of groundbreaking studies on climate feedback loops, which tells us what the array contains. The plural nouns in those phrases don't control the verb. We're left with An array, which names one collection.
- Step 3
Match the subject's number
Now shrink An array to it and sort the choices by number. Does have match? We say they have, so have is plural and doesn't fit one array. The verb form must be singular, but we still need to see whether it works with the words after the blank.
- Step 4
Complete the verb phrase
Which singular verb works with been archived? Been is the past participle of be, the form used after have, has, or had. The phrase is been archived doesn't work because is would need archived or being archived, not been archived. The verb has gives the complete phrase has been archived. Choice C.