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Parallel Structure and Coordinate Elements

2 questions

All types2Multiple choice1Fill in the blank1
Question 1Question →

The following sentence contains a series of coordinate elements after a modal verb. Which base verb correctly completes the blank to maintain parallel structure?

Fill in the blanks below

To build a compelling academic argument, a scholar must formulate a clear thesis, support claims with verifiable evidence, and potential counterarguments.
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Answer

The blank must be filled with a base verb (such as 'address', 'anticipate', 'rebut', 'refute', 'acknowledge', or 'counter') to parallel the base verbs 'formulate' and 'support' governed by the modal auxiliary verb 'must'.
The correct completion uses a base verb to parallel the preceding base verbs 'formulate' and 'support' that follow the modal verb 'must'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the coordinate elements forming a list in the sentence.
The sentence lists three actions governed by the modal verb 'must': (1) 'formulate a clear thesis', (2) 'support claims with verifiable evidence', and (3) the blank phrase.
Parallel structure requires items in a coordinate series to share the same grammatical form.
2
Analyze the grammatical form of the existing items in the series.
Both 'formulate' and 'support' are bare infinitive (base form) verbs that follow the modal auxiliary 'must'.
Modal verbs take base forms without 'to'.
3
Determine the required grammatical category for the final item.
The final item must begin with a base verb (e.g., 'address') followed by the direct object 'potential counterarguments'.
Matching base verbs maintains Syntactic Parallelism across all coordinate elements.

Key Concept

Parallel Structure and Coordinate Elements
Question 2Question →

Consider the following sentence from an academic essay proposal:

"To address the rising operational costs, the director recommended that the research team consolidate existing laboratory resources, streamline experimental protocols, and that automated data collection tools be adopted across all departments."

Which of the following revisions best corrects the sentence by establishing proper parallel structure across coordinate elements?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: the director recommended that the research team consolidate existing laboratory resources, streamline experimental protocols, and establish automated data collection tools across all departments.

Answer

The revision that lists three parallel base verbs ('consolidate', 'streamline', and 'establish') following the subordinator 'that the research team' correctly restores parallel structure.
The correct option preserves parallel structure by maintaining a consistent series of three parallel subjunctive base verbs ('consolidate', 'streamline', and 'establish') that all depend logically on the introductory phrase 'that the research team'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the governing clause structure and coordinate elements in the original sentence.
The governing subordinator phrase is 'that the research team [verb]'. The list contains three actions.
Parallel structure requires items in a coordinate series to share the identical grammatical form.
2
Analyze the grammatical forms of each element in the original list.
Element 1 is a base verb ('consolidate'), Element 2 is a base verb ('streamline'), but Element 3 shifts into a subordinate clause ('that automated data collection tools be adopted').
Mixing verb phrases with a full subordinate clause violates syntactic parallelism.
3
Select the option that converts all coordinate elements to the same grammatical structure.
Matching three base verbs ('consolidate', 'streamline', and 'establish') completes the series parallelly.
All three items now seamlessly follow 'that the research team'.

Key Concept

Parallelism in coordinate series governed by a shared subordinator
Parallel Structure and Coordinate Elements Practice Questions — GRE General Test | Examkin