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Question

Difficulty: MediumVerbs, Tenses, and Aspect

Which of the options provided below correctly completes the sentence?

"Supposing the head of department ________ the revised curriculum last month, the faculty would not be facing accreditation issues now."

  1. had approvedAnswer
  2. B
    approved
  3. C
    has approved
  4. D
    approves

Answer

The correct option is 'had approved'.
The verb phrase 'had approved' completes the past perfect aspect necessary for a counterfactual past condition introduced by 'supposing' when paired with the past temporal phrase 'last month'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the sentence structure and temporal indicators
The clause opens with 'Supposing', establishing a hypothetical condition, while 'last month' specifies a past timeframe.
Identifying the mood and time frame determines the required verb tense and aspect.
2
Determine the appropriate conditional tense aspect
An unfulfilled condition in the past that produces a present result ('would not be facing... now') requires a mixed conditional structure with the past perfect tense ('had' + past participle) in the conditional clause.
Unreal past conditions require the past perfect auxiliary to convey counterfactual meaning.
3
Select the corresponding verb option
'had approved' correctly satisfies the past perfect requirement.
It fulfills both the past temporal reference and the subjunctive counterfactual aspect.

Key Concept

Mixed Conditionals and Unreal Past Aspect
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Topics

Verbs, Tenses, and Aspect

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