Question 81·Hard·Form, Structure, and Sense
Renowned choreographer Maya Lopez often begins rehearsals with improvisational exercises, ______ an atmosphere in which dancers feel free to experiment without fear of judgment.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For sentence-structure and verb-form questions, first identify the main clause (subject + main verb) and then decide whether the underlined portion should start a new clause or just modify the existing one. Pay close attention to commas: a comma followed by a verb form with no new subject often signals that you need a participial phrase (-ing form) rather than another fully conjugated verb. Quickly test each option by reading it in the sentence and checking whether it creates an extra main clause without a subject or conjunction; eliminate any that cause fragments or comma splices.
Hints
Look at the comma before the blank
Notice the comma right before the blank. Ask yourself: is the sentence starting a brand-new complete clause after the comma, or is it adding extra information about the way Maya Lopez begins rehearsals?
Check for subjects and verbs
After the blank, the next word is "an," which starts the noun phrase "an atmosphere." There is no new subject after the comma. Which verb form can work without a new subject and still connect smoothly to "an atmosphere"?
Think about modifier vs. new sentence
The phrase after the comma should describe the result of beginning rehearsals with improvisational exercises. Which option can act as a modifying phrase attached to the main clause, instead of as a separate main verb that would need its own subject or conjunction?
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the core sentence structure
First, strip the sentence down to its main clause: "Renowned choreographer Maya Lopez often begins rehearsals with improvisational exercises, ______ an atmosphere in which dancers feel free to experiment without fear of judgment."
The main clause is "Maya Lopez often begins rehearsals with improvisational exercises." The part after the comma should add information about the result or effect of how she begins rehearsals.
Decide what kind of word is needed after the comma
After the comma, the sentence continues directly with "an atmosphere..." which is a noun phrase (the object of whatever verb form we choose).
So the blank must be filled by a verb form that can:
- Use "an atmosphere" as its direct object, and
- Function as a modifier describing Maya Lopez's action (how she begins rehearsals or what that beginning results in), not as a new independent clause.
This strongly suggests we need a participial phrase (an -ing form) rather than a separate, fully conjugated verb that would start a new clause.
Test each choice for clause and subject-verb correctness
Plug each option into the sentence and think about whether it creates a new, complete clause (which we do not want) or a modifying phrase (which we do want):
- "..., create an atmosphere in which..." — this looks like a main verb but has no subject after the comma and no conjunction like "and." It does not work as a modifier here.
- "..., created an atmosphere in which..." — past-tense verb with no subject after the comma, so it also tries to act like a main verb without a subject.
- "..., creates an atmosphere in which..." — present-tense verb that again lacks a subject after the comma, creating a comma splice.
- An -ing form can follow a comma and modify the subject of the main clause, showing a result: "..., ___ an atmosphere in which..." works as a participial phrase modifying "Maya Lopez."
Confirm the best-fitting participial phrase
The -ing form completes the sentence as a participial phrase:
"Renowned choreographer Maya Lopez often begins rehearsals with improvisational exercises, creating an atmosphere in which dancers feel free to experiment without fear of judgment."
This correctly shows the result of how she begins rehearsals and follows standard English conventions. So the correct answer is creating.