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Question

Difficulty: HardSubject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

Formulating comprehensive economic policies, alongside managing public expenditure, ________ exceptional expertise from the ministry officials. Which option best completes the sentence?

  1. requiresAnswer
  2. B
    require
  3. C
    are requiring
  4. D
    have required

Answer

requires
The subject of the sentence is the gerund phrase 'Formulating comprehensive economic policies', which takes a singular verb. The expression 'alongside managing public expenditure' is a prepositional modifier and does not make the subject compound or plural. Therefore, the singular verb 'requires' correctly completes the sentence.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the main subject of the sentence
The subject head is the gerund phrase 'Formulating comprehensive economic policies'.
A gerund or gerund phrase functioning as a sentence subject is grammatically singular.
2
Analyze the quasi-conjunction parenthetical phrase
The phrase 'alongside managing public expenditure' is prepositional.
Expressions introduced by 'alongside', 'as well as', 'together with', or 'in addition to' do not compound the subject or alter its number.
3
Select the correct singular verb form
The third-person singular present verb form 'requires' is selected.
A singular subject requires a singular verb to maintain grammatical concord.

Key Concept

Gerund Subject Concord with Prepositional Parenthetical Modifiers
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Topics

Subject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

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