In the dry grasslands of the American Southwest, the resilient seed pods of the desert lupine (*Lupinus sparsiflorus*) can remain dormant in the soil for several years during prolonged periods of drought. The germination of these seeds, which occurs only after a sequence of uncommonly heavy winter rains fully saturates the parched ground, _______ a rapid, vibrant bloom that temporarily transforms the landscape.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- Atrigger
- Btriggering
- triggersCevap
- Dhave triggered
Cevap
The correct option is 'triggers'. The singular noun 'germination' functions as the subject of the clause and must agree with the singular present-tense verb 'triggers'.
The singular, present-tense verb 'triggers' is correct because the grammatical subject of the clause is 'germination,' which is singular. The intervening prepositional phrase 'of these seeds' and the relative clause starting with 'which' modify the subject but do not change its singular number.
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Anahtar Kavram
Subject-verb agreement requires a verb to match the number of its subject, ignoring any intervening prepositional phrases or clauses.