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Question

Difficulty: MediumSubject-Verb Agreement

The following sentence contains a blank. Complete the sentence by writing the correct present-tense form of the verb 'to represent' in the blank, ensuring proper subject-verb agreement.

Answer:The discovery of ancient silk scrolls, which were buried in the dry climate of the desert tomb for over two millennia, 【represents】 a major breakthrough for historians studying the Han dynasty.

Answer

represents
The singular verb 'represents' correctly agrees with the singular subject 'discovery'. All intervening words between the subject and the verb are parts of modifying prepositional phrases and relative clauses, which do not change the grammatical number of the subject.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the main subject of the clause.
The subject is 'discovery'.
Intervening modifiers like the prepositional phrase 'of ancient silk scrolls' and the relative clause 'which were buried in the dry climate of the desert tomb for over two millennia' do not affect the verb's agreement.
2
Determine the grammatical number of the subject.
The noun 'discovery' is singular.
It refers to a single act of finding the scrolls.
3
Determine the correct present-tense form of the verb 'to represent' to match the singular subject.
The singular third-person present-tense form is 'represents'.
Singular subjects require singular verbs ending in '-s' in the present tense.

Key Concept

Subject-Verb Agreement
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Topics

Subject-Verb Agreement

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