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Question

Difficulty: Very hardSubject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

Which of the options correctly completes the sentence below?

"The lead epidemiologist, alongside her chief research assistants, _____ that neither of the field reports submitted by the monitoring officers _____ any substantial evidence of contamination."

  1. believes / containsAnswer
  2. B
    believe / contain
  3. C
    believes / contain
  4. D
    believe / contains

Answer

believes / contains
The option containing 'believes / contains' is correct because 'The lead epidemiologist' is singular and remains singular despite the intervening phrase introduced by 'alongside'. Furthermore, 'neither' acts as a singular subject governing the second verb, requiring 'contains'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the subject-verb structure of the main clause.
The subject is 'The lead epidemiologist' (singular). The preposional phrase 'alongside her chief research assistants' is parenthetical and does not change the subject to plural.
Expressions such as 'alongside', 'as well as', 'together with', and 'in addition to' do not form compound subjects.
2
Determine the correct verb form for the first blank.
The singular verb 'believes' must be selected to agree with 'The lead epidemiologist'.
A singular subject requires a singular third-person present tense verb.
3
Analyze the subject-verb structure of the subordinate noun clause.
The subject of the clause is the indefinite pronoun 'neither', which takes a singular verb.
The phrase 'of the field reports' is a prepositional modifier and does not make the subject plural in formal concord.
4
Determine the correct verb form for the second blank.
The singular verb 'contains' must be used.
Indefinite pronouns like 'neither', 'either', and 'each' strictly require singular verb forms in standard formal English.

Key Concept

Parenthetical Accompaniment and Indefinite Pronoun Concord
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Topics

Subject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

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