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Question

Difficulty: HardModal Auxiliaries and Expressing Modality

Fill in the blank space with the most appropriate modal verb phrase (using the verb provided in parentheses) to complete the sentence correctly.

Answer:The delegates 【needn't have printed】 (print) physical copies of the dossier, as complete electronic versions had already been dispatched to all participants before the symposium.

Answer

needn't have printed (or need not have printed)
The modal auxiliary phrase 'needn't have printed' (or 'need not have printed') is the correct choice because it expresses that the delegates printed the physical copies, but doing so was unnecessary since digital versions had already been sent.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the past context of the sentence to determine modality requirements.
The dependent clause ('as complete electronic versions had already been dispatched...') demonstrates that creating hard copies was redundant, yet the delegates carried out the action.
Establishing whether a past action occurred needlessly determines the specific modal perfect form required.
2
Apply the modal auxiliary structure that expresses an unnecessary past action that was nonetheless performed.
The grammatical construction 'needn't have + past participle' (or 'need not have + past participle') uniquely conveys that an action was executed unnecessarily in the past.
Using 'needn't have printed' precisely satisfies both the past aspect and the nuance of unneeded effort.

Key Concept

Expressing Unnecessary Past Actions (Needn't have + Past Participle)
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Modal Auxiliaries and Expressing Modality

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