English

(d) stands the stately Aston home

After a place phrase at the start of a sentence ("West of Newport"), the verb comes before the subject: "West of Newport stands the stately Aston home, one of the many mansions...". The other options do not give a complete main clause.

(d) is caused

The sentence needs a finite main verb. Putrefaction is acted upon, so the passive present "is caused" is correct; "to be caused" and "causing" are not finite verbs.

(a) rise

The plural subject "temperatures" needs a finite present-tense verb, so "rise" is correct. "Rising", "to rise" and "risen" cannot be the main verb.

(d) Although

"Although publicly executed in 1536 ..., William Tyndale wrote a version which became the foundation..." shows concession: he was executed, yet his work lived on. "After" and "When" would wrongly suggest he wrote the version after the execution.

(a) As if

The sentence needs a clause-linker that can introduce the elliptical adjective phrase "capable of walking upright" and sets up a contrast with "only for short [distances]". "As if" fits grammatically, while "through" and "until" do not, and "because" gives an illogical cause.

(a) After

"After erupting in May 1980, Mount Saint Helens continued erupting intermittently..." The time relation (first erupting, then continuing) fits "after". "Such as" and "as if" do not make sense, and "since" would not suit "continued" with a past period.

(d) After

"After having seized their prey ..., pythons swiftly coil themselves around it." The seizing happens first, then the coiling, so "after" is correct.

(b) When

"When running, grizzly bears are capable of attaining speeds..." is a reduced time clause ("when they are running"). The other options cannot be followed by "running" with this meaning.

(c) While alpine flowers can resist wind, cold,

The opening needs a complete subordinate clause of contrast: "While alpine flowers can resist wind, cold, ..., their small size and the thin soil make them easy prey." Option (c) has a plural subject agreeing with "can resist"; (a) and (b) have the singular "flower" with "can resist" and no article, and (d) lacks a finite verb.

(c) While

"While making a person ill enough to warrant hospitalization, poison ivy does not kill" uses "while" in the sense of "although", showing contrast between making people ill and not killing them.

(c) Though

"Though declaring the area useless, Daniel Webster could not have foretold..." The two ideas contrast, so a concessive connector is needed.

(b) While

"While plowing the field, the farmer uncovered a dinosaur jawbone" shows two actions happening at the same time, with the subject "he was" left out.

(d) Although

"Although pandas eat bamboos almost exclusively, they are also carnivorous" joins two contrasting facts.

(c) entering

The subject of "is risky" is the gerund phrase "entering a country illegally". The other options give an unsuitable clause or tense after "although".

(d) Instead of slowing down when

"Instead of slowing down when sighting an approaching car, some drivers tend to speed up." This is the only order that is logical and grammatical: "instead of" + gerund, then "when sighting".

(c) At the airport

"At the airport, the travelers found that their flight had been canceled..." The sentence already has a main clause ("the travelers found"), so the opening must be a phrase, not a clause with its own verb.

(b) until

The condor does not flap its wings until it must, that is, until it needs to reach updrafts. "Because" and "as if" make no sense here.

(a) Although their ties

"Although their ties to England remain strong, the Channel Islanders are exempt from most British taxes." This is a complete subordinate clause with the subject "ties" and the verb "remain", and it shows contrast.

(b) drivers must continue

After the introductory phrase, the sentence needs a main clause with a subject and verb: "drivers must continue until their cars are demolished." The other options add "that" or "although", or lack a finite verb.

(d) While

"While governments point with pride to increasing mechanization..., human and animal power still produces a significant portion of the world's food." "While" gives the contrast.

(a) Though a campaign against smoking

The opening needs to be a subordinate (concessive) element so that "tobacco farmers had not yet felt its effect" can be the main clause. Only "though" gives that contrast, and it avoids the comma splice in (d) and the noun clause with no verb in (b) and (c).

(a) because the offshore barrier posed

"There were few settlements along the North Carolina coast because the offshore barrier posed many problems for seafarers." It gives a cause with a finite verb. The other options are illogical or ungrammatical.

(c) My mother's ancestral home has stood abandoned

The sentence needs a finite verb. "Since the death of her father" calls for the present perfect "has stood".

(d) gregarious

The boss is described as generous with bonuses and tolerant of lapses, so he is a warm, sociable person. "Miserly" is the opposite of generous, "supercilious" means arrogant and "disingenuous" means insincere, so (d) fits best.

(b) After bargaining for several weeks

"After bargaining for several weeks, the owner and buyer finally agreed on a price for the house." Option (b) is a phrase that leaves the main clause intact, whereas the others create a second clause with no linker.

(c) While the deer was under the effect

The opening is an adverbial clause needing its own subject and verb: "While the deer was under the effect of the tranquilizer, ...". The other options lack a finite verb or are ungrammatical ("being" after "While" with a different subject is wrong).

(a) Having failed to reach

The perfect participle phrase "Having failed to reach the finish line first" shows an earlier action, and its subject matches the main clause subject, "the runner". "Failed reaching" is wrong because "fail" takes an infinitive.

(a) to

"From 1804 to 1806" is the standard pattern for a range of years. "Between" would need "and".

(c) with

"Clay incense burners with effigy lids" means burners that have lids shaped like figures; "with" shows the attribute.

(a) behind

"Appeared from behind the tent" is a correct compound preposition. "From out" and "from with" are not idiomatic, and "from after" makes no sense.

(d) over

"Flew over France" means flew across the territory, so "over" fits the sense of the sentence.

(d) above

The mountain towers three miles above sea level. "Above" gives the height relative to a baseline.

(b) up to

"Up to 16 feet deep" expresses a maximum depth reached in places.

(b) on

"On a visit" is the fixed phrase. The sentence reads "While on a visit to Georgia, Eli Whitney learned...".

(d) on

"People seen on the streets" uses the usual preposition "on" with "streets".

(c) much smaller

The blank needs a comparative adjective after "second": "a second, much smaller room". "The smallest" is a superlative, "as small as" is incomplete, and "more small" is wrong because "small" takes "-er".

(d) Grotesque eroded forms

The list "badlands, towering pinnacles, and ___" needs a noun phrase to keep the series parallel. Only "grotesque eroded forms" is a noun phrase without a clause.

(a) of some 6,000 drawings and paintings

"The Searight collection of some 6,000 drawings and paintings of the Middle East ... covers the past two centuries." The "of" phrase modifies "collection", and the main verb "covers" follows.

(b) the gravest long-term threat

"Poses the gravest long-term threat" has the correct article, superlative and compound adjective order. The other options break word order or grammar.

(b) Like many finds.

"Like many finds in astronomy, the discovery of Uranus was by accident." "Like" is the preposition used for comparison. "Alike" cannot begin a phrase this way.

(c) from the earliest times

"Have been trying ... from the earliest times" matches the present perfect continuous, which links a past starting point to now.

(b) by the age of six

"By the age of six, Mozart had already written his first composition." The phrase is an adverbial of time, and the other options form run-on clauses.

(d) Returned to Boulogne.

The verbs in the list must be parallel: "stayed ..., took ..., and returned to Boulogne". Each is a simple past tense verb.

(b) as

"In their traditional role as work horses" uses "as" to show function or role.

(a) The longer the issue

The structure is "The + comparative ..., the + comparative ...". The clause "The longer the issue was debated" fits with "the more people became involved".

(c) the three finest funeral ships

The correct order is article, number, then adjective, then noun modifier: "the three finest funeral ships". The superlative "ever recovered" needs "the".

(d) Unlike grizzly bears.

"Unlike grizzly bears, black bears climb trees." The opening prepositional phrase of contrast is followed by a comma and a complete clause.

(a) from

"Carved from marble" tells the material the object was made out of.

(a) by the yard

Only this option forms a recognisable phrase, "by a yard" meaning by that distance. The other options cannot be completed sensibly before "of his hand".

(c) lies a 1,250-year-old pyramid

After the introductory place phrase the subject and verb are inverted: "lies a ... pyramid". "Does ... lie" is wrong in a statement, and the singular subject needs the singular verb "lies".

(c) the longest footpath

A superlative adjective takes "the" before it, so "the longest footpath" is correct; "America's" does not remove the need for the article here.