Question 88·Easy·Form, Structure, and Sense
In her quest to understand local bird populations, ecologist Maria Patel spends each spring documenting nesting sites, _____ the location, height, and materials used in every nest she finds.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For verb-form and sentence-structure questions, first locate the sentence’s subject and main verb so you know whether the blank should be another main verb or just a modifier/phrase. Then check what comes right before and after the blank to see if the test is about parallel structure (matching forms like -ing to -ing). Quickly plug in each choice and eliminate any that create two main verbs joined only by a comma, shift the tense inappropriately, or break the pattern established by nearby words.
Hints
Find the main verb first
Ignore the phrase in commas for a moment. Identify the subject and main verb of the sentence, and see what role the underlined part must play.
Decide if you need a new sentence or a modifier
Ask yourself: after the comma, are we starting a new main action, or are we just giving more detail about what Maria is doing?
Compare the blank to documenting
Look at the word documenting before the comma. Should the blank match that form to keep the sentence smooth and parallel?
Test each verb form in context
Read the sentence out loud (in your head) with each choice. Which one fits naturally as a description of how she documents nesting sites, without creating a new main verb?
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the main clause and verb
First, strip the sentence down to its core:
- Subject: ecologist Maria Patel
- Main verb: spends
- Object of spends: each spring documenting nesting sites
So the main action is that Maria spends each spring documenting nesting sites.
Understand the role of the phrase after the comma
Look at the part after the comma:
*", _____ the location, height, and materials used in every nest she finds."
This is not starting a new sentence. Instead, it is adding extra detail about what she is doing as she documents nesting sites. That means the blank should start a phrase that modifies Maria’s action, not a new main verb.
Check for parallel structure with documenting
The phrase before the comma ends with the -ing word documenting. Often, writers use parallel structure in a list of actions, such as:
- spends each spring documenting nesting sites, ___ the location...
To keep the structure smooth and consistent, the word in the blank should match the form of documenting (another -ing form) so both actions are presented in the same grammatical way.
Eliminate choices that create sentence-structure errors
Test each type of verb form:
- A regular present-tense verb (like records) after a comma would make it look like there is a second main verb without and, creating an error.
- A past-tense verb (like recorded) would not match the ongoing, habitual action described by spends each spring.
- An infinitive (like to record) would awkwardly express purpose and would not be parallel to documenting.
The only option that works as a modifier, keeps parallelism with documenting, and fits smoothly after the comma is recording.