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Question

Difficulty: MediumSubject-Verb Agreement

The unique hunting strategy of the archerfish has long fascinated marine biologists. Operating in the brackish waters of mangrove swamps, this remarkable predator, in order to capture prey, shoots a jet of water from its mouth to knock insects off overhanging branches. The force of these aquatic projectiles, in addition to the fish's highly specialized eyesight, allow it to target and hit insects with remarkable precision from several feet away.

Which of the following options is the correct form of the underlined verb to complete the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. allowsAnswer
  3. C
    allowed
  4. D
    have allowed

Answer

allows
The correct option is 'allows' because the subject of the verb is the singular noun 'force'. The prepositional phrase 'of these aquatic projectiles' and the parenthetical phrase 'in addition to the fish's highly specialized eyesight' are intervening elements that do not change the grammatical number of the subject. A singular subject requires the singular present-tense verb 'allows' to maintain subject-verb agreement.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Locate the verb in question and trace back to find the grammatical subject of the clause.
The verb is 'allow' (or its variants), and the potential subjects in the sentence are 'force', 'projectiles', and 'eyesight'.
Finding the true subject is necessary to determine whether the verb should be singular or plural.
2
Identify and temporarily cross out any intervening prepositional phrases or parenthetical expressions that separate the subject from the verb.
The prepositional phrase 'of these aquatic projectiles' and the parenthetical phrase 'in addition to the fish's highly specialized eyesight' are crossed out, leaving the singular noun 'force' as the true subject.
Intervening phrases describe or add information to the subject but do not change its grammatical number.
3
Determine the correct verb form that agrees in number with the singular subject 'force' and matches the present-tense context of the passage.
The singular present-tense form 'allows' is selected.
A singular subject requires a singular verb, and the surrounding sentences establish a present-tense context ('has', 'shoots').

Key Concept

Subject-verb agreement with intervening prepositional and parenthetical phrases
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Topics

Subject-Verb Agreement

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