SAT Reading & Writing · Form, Structure, and Sense
When conservators removed the final layer of later paint, they discovered that the original plaster ______ a network of fine cracks long…
When conservators removed the final layer of later paint, they discovered that the original plaster ______ a network of fine cracks long before the restoration began.
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: C: had developed
The cracks existed before both the discovery and the restoration described in the sentence, a past-before-a-past relationship that calls for the past perfect, "had developed." "Develops" incorrectly shifts to present tense within a past-tense narrative. "Developed" would place the cracking at the same rough time as the discovery, losing the "long before" sequence the sentence establishes. "Will develop" shifts to future tense, inconsistent with a story told entirely in the past.
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