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Difficulty: Very hardConjunctions and Clause Structure

In the sentence, 'Adverse _______ the environmental conditions were during the expedition, the research team successfully completed the geological survey of the region,' which conjunction correctly completes the clause to express concession?

  1. asAnswer
  2. B
    although
  3. C
    despite
  4. D
    even

Answer

The word 'as' is the correct subordinating conjunction used to form a concessive clause following a fronted adjective.
The conjunction 'as' creates an inverted concessive clause structure when positioned after a fronted adjective or adverb (e.g., 'Adverse as the conditions were...' is equivalent in meaning to 'Although the conditions were adverse...').

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the grammatical structure of the sentence opening.
The sentence begins with the predicate adjective 'Adverse', followed by a blank, the noun subject 'the environmental conditions', and the linking verb 'were'.
Identifying clause inversion/fronting is essential for selecting the appropriate connective.
2
Evaluate conjunction rules for fronted adjective structures.
In formal English, when an adjective or adverb is placed at the front of a concessive clause for focus, 'as' (or 'though') follows it to mean 'although... is/was'.
Standard conjunctions like 'although' require conventional word order ('Although the conditions were adverse...').

Key Concept

Concessive Clauses with Fronted Adjectives
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Topics

Conjunctions and Clause Structure

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