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Question

Difficulty: HardConjunctions and Clause Structure

Which word correctly completes the inverted clause structure in the sentence below?

Answer:So demanding 【were】 the rigorous accreditation requirements that several newly established institutions failed to qualify.

Answer

The blank must be filled with 'were'.
The sentence uses an inverted clause structure triggered by placing the degree phrase 'So demanding' at the sentence-initial position. When 'so + adjective' opens a clause paired with the correlative result conjunction 'that', subject-verb inversion is required. Because the delayed subject 'the rigorous accreditation requirements' is plural and the main narrative tense is past ('failed'), the past plural auxiliary verb 'were' is required.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the syntactic structure of the sentence.
The sentence starts with an emphasized fronted modifier 'So demanding', followed by a result clause introduced by the subordinating conjunction 'that'.
Fronting an adjective phrase modified by 'so' forces subject-operator inversion in the main clause prior to the 'that'-clause.
2
Identify the postposed subject and establish subject-verb concord in past tense.
The delayed subject is 'the rigorous accreditation requirements', which is plural, and the context is past tense as indicated by 'failed'.
In inverted structures, the verb must agree in number and tense with the delayed subject. The past plural form of the verb 'to be' is 'were'.

Key Concept

Inverted Clause Structure with Fronted 'So + Adjective' Degree Constructions
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Topics

Conjunctions and Clause Structure

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