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Question

Difficulty: MediumModal Auxiliaries and Expressing Modality

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate modal verb phrase to complete the sentence below.

Answer:Given that the audited financial report contained glaring inconsistencies, the external board of inquiry concluded that the head accountant 【must have been】 aware of the fraudulent transfers prior to the public disclosure.

Answer

The correct phrase to fill in the blank is 'must have been'.
The sentence establishes a past context with compelling evidence ('glaring inconsistencies'), requiring the modal expression 'must have been' to convey strong logical deduction regarding a past situation.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the contextual clues in the sentence to identify the temporal context and intended modality.
The sentence presents strong past evidence ('audited financial report contained glaring inconsistencies') leading to a high-certainty conclusion about a past state.
Determining whether the statement represents obligation, possibility, or logical deduction in the past is necessary to choose the correct modal structure.
2
Select the modal auxiliary structure that expresses strong logical deduction in the past.
The structure 'must + have + past participle' ('must have been') correctly signifies a strong logical conclusion about past events based on clear evidence.
'Must have' followed by the past participle of the verb 'to be' is required for past certainty or logical deduction.

Key Concept

Modal Auxiliaries for Past Logical Deduction
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Modal Auxiliaries and Expressing Modality

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