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Question

Difficulty: HardSubject-Modifier Agreement

Having analyzed the chemical composition of the glaze on the earthenware fragments excavated at the ancient Roman site, _______

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

  1. archaeologists determined that the clay had been sourced from a local volcanic deposit.Answer
  2. B
    the pottery fragments revealed to researchers that the clay had been sourced from a local volcanic deposit.
  3. C
    it was determined by archaeologists that the clay had been sourced from a local volcanic deposit.
  4. D
    the analysis conducted by archaeologists suggested that the clay had been sourced from a local volcanic deposit.

Answer

archaeologists determined that the clay had been sourced from a local volcanic deposit.
The introductory modifying phrase 'Having analyzed the chemical composition of the glaze...' describes an action. The noun immediately following the comma must be the entity that performed this action. Since archaeologists are the ones who conducted the analysis, the clause must begin with 'archaeologists.' This structure ensures correct subject-modifier agreement.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the introductory modifying phrase and determine the entity performing the action.
The phrase is 'Having analyzed the chemical composition of the glaze...', which represents an action that requires a conscious agent (the analyzer).
Understanding the function of the modifier allows us to identify the logical subject.
2
Evaluate the choices to find which one puts the logical subject immediately after the modifier.
Only the option starting with 'archaeologists' correctly places the logical agent directly after the comma.
This positioning avoids a dangling or misplaced modifier error.

Key Concept

Subject-Modifier Agreement
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Topics

Subject-Modifier Agreement

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