The passage below discusses the tool-use behavior of New Caledonian crows. Which word completes the passage so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English parallel structure?
Answer:Researchers studying the New Caledonian crow (*Corvus moneduloides*) have observed that these intelligent birds are highly skilled at crafting tools to retrieve food from hard-to-reach crevices in their environment. In laboratory settings, the crows demonstrate remarkable cognitive flexibility: they shave the barbed edges of pandanus leaves, shape the twigs of local trees, and 【bend】 metal wires into functional hooks.
Answer
bend (or another grammatically parallel base verb like 'twist' or 'mold')
To maintain parallel structure in a list, all items must share the same grammatical form. The list consists of three actions performed by the crows: 'they shave...', 'shape...', and 'and [verb]...'. Since 'shave' and 'shape' are base/present-tense plural verbs, the blank must be completed by a parallel present-tense base verb, such as 'bend', 'twist', or 'mold'.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Parallel Structure