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Difficulty: Very hardVerb Tense, Aspect, and Mood

The following passage is followed by a blank. Write the form of the verb 'view' that correctly completes the sentence to conform to the conventions of Standard English.

Answer:For decades before archaeologist Tatiana Proskouriakoff published her seminal 1960 study on Maya inscriptions, mainstream epigraphers 【had viewed】 the glyphs as purely astronomical and mystical logs, entirely overlooking the life histories of the rulers who commissioned them.

Answer

had viewed (or had been viewing)
The correct answer is 'had viewed' or 'had been viewing'. The passage establishes a timeline where epigraphers held a specific belief for decades prior to a completed past action (Proskouriakoff's 1960 publication). To express an action or state that occurred before another past action, the past perfect tense is required. Both 'had viewed' and 'had been viewing' correctly frame this prior action in relation to the simple past verb 'published'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the timeline of events described in the passage.
The passage refers to a prior ongoing state (epigraphers' beliefs about Maya glyphs) that existed before a specific event in the past (Tatiana Proskouriakoff publishing her study in 1960).
Understanding the chronological relationship between the two events is necessary to determine the correct verb tense.
2
Select the appropriate verb tense and aspect to express this temporal relationship.
Since the epigraphers' viewing of the glyphs was an action that occurred and was ongoing prior to another completed past action ('published'), it requires the past perfect tense ('had viewed') or past perfect progressive tense ('had been viewing').
The past perfect tense is used to clarify that one past event preceded another past event.

Key Concept

Using the past perfect tense to show that an action was completed or ongoing before another action in the past.
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Topics

Verb Tense, Aspect, and Mood

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