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Difficulty: MediumVerb Tense and Consistency

In 1995, wildlife biologists reintroduced gray wolves to Yellowstone National Park, aiming to restore balance to an ecosystem that had suffered in their absence. Without an apex predator, the park's elk population had grown excessively, overgrazing the valley vegetation. Almost immediately after the wolves returned, they hunted the elk and begin to alter the physical geography of the park itself. As trees regenerated along the riverbanks, birds returned to the forests, and beavers built new dams in the restored waterways.

Which of the following choices best replaces the underlined word 'begin' to maintain a consistent and grammatically correct tense throughout the passage?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. B
    beginning
  3. beganAnswer
  4. D
    begins

Answer

began
The past-tense verb 'began' is correct because the entire paragraph establishes a narrative set in the past, as shown by verbs like 'reintroduced,' 'returned,' and 'hunted.' Using the past tense maintains verb consistency throughout the passage.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the context of the sentence and surrounding sentences to determine the overall narrative tense.
The verbs 'reintroduced', 'returned', 'hunted', 'regenerated', and 'built' establish that the passage is written in the past tense.
Verb tense consistency requires verbs describing actions in the same timeframe to match in tense unless there is a logical reason to shift.
2
Examine the grammatical structure of the sentence containing the underlined word.
The subject 'they' performs two actions in a compound predicate connected by 'and': they 'hunted' (past tense) and '[begin]' (underlined).
Verbs connected by coordinating conjunctions in a compound predicate should be parallel in tense and form.
3
Select the verb form that matches the past-tense requirement of the sentence.
The past-tense form 'began' matches 'hunted' and maintains the consistent past-tense narrative.
This establishes grammatical parallelism and maintains the temporal context of the passage.

Key Concept

Verb Tense and Consistency
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Topics

Verb Tense and Consistency

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