Had opponents of Alexander Hamilton’s banking program succeeded in defeating the First Bank’s charter in 1791, by 1811 the early federal government _____ access to a nationwide financial network for two decades. Congress approved the charter, however, and the bank went on to collect federal revenues and extend commercial credit through branches in several cities.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For conditional-sentence questions, first identify the condition and the result. An inverted clause beginning with “Had” often means “If ... had” and signals an unreal past condition. Then check time markers such as “by” and “for” to determine whether the hypothetical result must be shown as completed by a past endpoint.
Hints
Rewrite the opening
Read “Had opponents ... succeeded” as an “if” clause. Determine whether it describes a real event or an unreal possibility in the past.
Notice the endpoint
Consider what “by 1811” and “for two decades” indicate about whether the result would be ongoing or completed at that past time.
Match condition and result
Choose the verb construction that expresses both a hypothetical consequence and completion by a past endpoint.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the conditional structure
“Had opponents ... succeeded” is an inverted form of “If opponents had succeeded.” It describes a past event that did not actually happen.
Use the time markers
The phrases “by 1811” and “for two decades” indicate that the hypothetical result would have continued until a specific point in the past.
Form the unreal past result
The result of an unreal past condition uses would have followed by a past participle. Thus, “would have lacked” correctly expresses the hypothetical result completed by 1811.