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Question

Difficulty: MediumParallel Structure

Which form of the verb 'catalog' correctly completes the sentence to maintain parallel structure?

Answer:During the excavation of the ancient ruins, the archaeologists spent their mornings uncovering pottery shards, mapping the layout of the foundation, and 【cataloging】 their discoveries in detailed logs.

Answer

cataloging (or cataloguing)
To maintain parallel structure, the elements of a list must share the same grammatical form. In this sentence, the list consists of three actions: 'uncovering,' 'mapping,' and the blank. Since the first two actions are present participles (verbs ending in -ing), the final action must also be a present participle. The present participle form of the verb 'catalog' is 'cataloging' (or 'cataloguing').

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the items in the list and analyze their grammatical structure.
The first two items in the series are 'uncovering pottery shards' and 'mapping the layout of the foundation.' Both of these begin with a present participle (a verb ending in -ing).
Parallel structure requires that all items in a list or series follow the same grammatical pattern.
2
Determine the necessary grammatical form for the final item in the list.
The final item must also begin with a present participle to match 'uncovering' and 'mapping.'
Using a different verb form would break the grammatical consistency of the list.
3
Convert the base verb 'catalog' into its present participle form.
The present participle form is 'cataloging' (or 'cataloguing' in British English).
This aligns the final verb with the established parallel pattern.

Key Concept

Parallel Structure
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Topics

Parallel Structure

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