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Difficulty: MediumSubject-Verb Agreement

Bakers around the world prize sourdough for its complex flavor and airy texture. Unlike commercial bread made with isolated yeast strains, the cultivation of traditional sourdough starters, which relies on a symbiotic culture of wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria, require patience and precise temperature control. A baker must feed the starter daily to maintain its vitality.

Which of the following choices correctly completes the underlined portion of the sentence to maintain proper subject-verb agreement?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. requiresAnswer
  3. C
    required
  4. D
    have required

Answer

requires
The subject of the sentence is 'cultivation', which is a singular noun. The phrases 'of traditional sourdough starters' and 'which relies on a symbiotic culture of wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria' are intervening modifiers that separate the subject from its verb. Therefore, the verb must be singular. The singular, present-tense verb 'requires' correctly agrees with the singular subject.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the subject of the sentence.
The subject is the singular noun 'cultivation'.
Determining whether the subject is singular or plural is necessary to select the correct verb form.
2
Locate the verb that corresponds to the subject, ignoring intervening phrases.
The target verb is 'require', which is separated from 'cultivation' by the prepositional phrase 'of traditional sourdough starters' and the relative clause 'which relies on a symbiotic culture of wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria'.
Intervening phrases containing plural nouns (like 'starters', 'yeast', 'bacteria') often distract from the true singular subject.
3
Select the verb form that agrees with the singular subject in the present tense.
The present-tense singular verb 'requires' is correct.
A singular subject requires a singular verb, and the surrounding context establishes the present tense.

Key Concept

Subject-Verb Agreement with Intervening Phrases
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Topics

Subject-Verb Agreement

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