Question 86·Medium·Form, Structure, and Sense
The committee's final report and recommendations emphasized the importance of transparency; subsequently, _____ shared with all stakeholders via the company's online portal.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For pronoun and verb-agreement questions, first identify the noun (antecedent) the pronoun refers to and decide if it is singular or plural. Eliminate any choices whose pronouns do not match that number. Then check subject–verb agreement by pairing the pronoun with the correct verb form (for example, "they were," not "they was"). Finally, read the sentence with your chosen answer to confirm it sounds complete and logical in context.
Hints
Look back at what the blank is referring to
Focus on the phrase "report and recommendations" before the semicolon. Ask yourself: does this refer to one thing or more than one thing?
Decide on singular vs. plural
Once you know if the earlier phrase is singular or plural, eliminate any answer choices whose pronoun does not match that number.
Check the verb form after the pronoun
For the pronoun you selected, think about which past-tense form of the verb "to be" correctly agrees with it: "was" or "were"?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the sentence structure
The sentence after the semicolon needs a complete clause (a full sentence). That clause must have a subject and a verb: "subsequently, _____ shared with all stakeholders..." The blank must provide both the subject (a pronoun) and the helping verb so that the clause is complete and grammatical.
Find what the pronoun refers to
Look back before the semicolon. The key noun phrase is "final report and recommendations." This phrase joins two things with "and," which makes it plural. So the pronoun in the blank must be plural as well, not singular.
Match the pronoun to the antecedent
Because "report and recommendations" is plural, the pronoun that refers to it must also be plural. Among the choices, the plural pronoun is "they," while "it" and "this" are singular. That narrows you down to the options that include "they."
Check subject–verb agreement
With the plural subject "they," the correct past-tense helping verb in standard English is "were," not "was." So the only choice that uses a plural subject and a matching plural verb is "they were", which correctly completes the sentence: "subsequently, they were shared with all stakeholders..."