SAT Reading & Writing · Form, Structure, and Sense
Having reviewed decades of fisheries data, the marine biologists concluded that heavy fishing pressure ______ smaller, earlier-maturing…
Having reviewed decades of fisheries data, the marine biologists concluded that heavy fishing pressure ______ smaller, earlier-maturing fish to become more common in the population over time.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Answer and explanation
Answer: B: caused
The sentence describes a completed act of concluding, in the simple past, "concluded." The clause describing what the biologists concluded should match that same past-tense frame, calling for caused. Cause is plural and also breaks the necessary past-tense agreement with "concluded." Will cause shifts to future tense, inconsistent with a conclusion drawn from decades of past data. Has caused shifts to present perfect, implying a connection to the present moment that the sentence's past-tense framing doesn't call for.
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