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Difficulty: EasyVerb Tense and Consistency

In the mid-fifteenth century, Johannes Gutenberg introduced movable type printing to Europe, a technology that revolutionized the spread of information. Before Gutenberg's invention, scribes laboriously copied manuscripts by hand, a process that took months or even years for a single book. The printing press allowed for the rapid production of texts, which drastically decreased the cost of books. As a result, literacy rates rise significantly across the continent as written works became accessible to the general public.

Which of the following options best maintains the consistent verb tense of the passage?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. roseAnswer
  3. C
    will rise
  4. D
    are rising

Answer

rose
The passage describes historical events in the fifteenth century and uses past-tense verbs throughout ('introduced,' 'revolutionized,' 'copied,' 'took,' 'allowed,' 'decreased,' 'became'). To maintain consistency, the verb describing the change in literacy rates must also be in the past tense. The option 'rose' is the correct simple past tense form of the verb.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the verbs in the surrounding context to establish the timeframe of the passage.
Verbs such as 'introduced,' 'revolutionized,' 'copied,' 'took,' 'allowed,' and 'became' are all in the simple past tense.
Consistent verb tense is required within a paragraph unless there is a logical reason to shift timeframes.
2
Analyze the underlined verb 'rise' and determine if it matches this established timeframe.
'rise' is in the present tense, which creates an illogical shift from the past to the present.
The event occurred in the past (the mid-fifteenth century), so a past tense verb is required.
3
Select the option that offers the correct past-tense form of the verb.
'rose' is the simple past tense form of 'rise' and matches the surrounding context.
Using 'rose' maintains correct grammatical consistency throughout the sentence and paragraph.

Key Concept

Verb Tense and Consistency
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Topics

Verb Tense and Consistency

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