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Question

Difficulty: MediumVerb Tense, Aspect, and Mood

Complete the passage with the form of the verb 'publish' that correctly completes the sentence to conform to the conventions of Standard English.

Answer:While studying Maya hieroglyphs in the 1950s, art historian Tatiana Proskouriakoff noticed patterns of dates that corresponded to the lifespans of historic rulers. Before Proskouriakoff 【published】 her breakthrough, most scholars in the field of Mesoamerican archaeology had assumed that the glyphs represented only abstract astronomical or religious concepts, rather than records of historical events.

Answer

published
The correct answer is 'published' because the sentence describes a sequence of two past events. The action of scholars assuming the glyphs were abstract occurred before Proskouriakoff's breakthrough. Because the earlier action is marked by the past perfect verb 'had assumed', the subsequent past action (the breakthrough) must be expressed in the simple past tense ('published') to establish the correct chronological relationship.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the relationship between the two events in the sentence: the scholars' assumption and Proskouriakoff's breakthrough.
The sentence outlines a clear chronological order between two past events.
Establishing the sequence of events determines the correct verb tense relationship.
2
Analyze the verb tense of the earlier event in the timeline.
The earlier action of the scholars' assumption is written in the past perfect tense ('had assumed').
The past perfect tense is used for an action completed before another past action.
3
Select the correct tense for the subsequent event (the breakthrough).
The subsequent past action must be written in the simple past tense ('published').
The simple past tense is required to show that the breakthrough occurred after the period when the scholars assumed otherwise.

Key Concept

Verb Tense, Aspect, and Mood
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Topics

Verb Tense, Aspect, and Mood

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