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Question

Difficulty: MediumSubject-Verb Agreement

During the late nineteenth century, the introduction of electric lighting systems in theaters revolutionized stage production. The brilliance of these early incandescent lamps, which replaced hazardous gaslit systems, were praised by directors who sought to create more realistic atmospheres on stage.

Which choice best completes the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. was praisedAnswer
  3. C
    is praised
  4. D
    are praised

Answer

was praised
The true subject of the verb is the singular noun 'brilliance.' Intervening modifying structures, such as 'of these early incandescent lamps' and 'which replaced hazardous gaslit systems,' contain plural nouns but do not change the singular nature of the subject. A singular verb is required. Furthermore, because the passage details events of the late nineteenth century and consistently uses past-tense verbs ('revolutionized,' 'replaced,' 'sought'), the past-tense 'was praised' is the correct choice to maintain grammatical consistency.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Locate the true grammatical subject of the verb in the sentence.
The subject is the singular noun 'brilliance.' The plural nouns 'lamps' and 'systems' appear inside intervening prepositional and relative clauses and do not affect the verb's form.
A verb must agree in number with its subject, even when separated from it by intervening phrases.
2
Analyze the tense of the surrounding context.
The paragraph is written in the past tense, as indicated by the verbs 'revolutionized,' 'replaced,' and 'sought.'
Verb tenses must remain consistent throughout a passage unless there is a clear chronological shift.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the singular past-tense verb form.
The phrase 'was praised' is singular and past-tense, which satisfies both subject-verb agreement and tense consistency.
This is the only choice that resolves the agreement issue without introducing other grammatical errors.

Key Concept

Subject-Verb Agreement
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Subject-Verb Agreement

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