VERSANT Sentence Completion 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: If the marketing team had anticipated the social media backlash, they ______ a different campaign slogan.
- would choose
- would have chosen (Correct answer)
- had chosen
- will choose
Correct answer: would have chosen
This sentence is a third conditional, used to describe an imagined past situation and its imagined past result. The structure is 'If + past perfect, would have + past participle'. 'had anticipated' is the past perfect, so 'would have chosen' is the correct form for the result clause.
Question 2: The board of directors insisted that the new CEO ______ immediate changes to the company's fiscal policy.
- implements
- to implement
- implement (Correct answer)
- implemented
Correct answer: implement
This sentence requires the use of the subjunctive mood, which is common after verbs of demand, suggestion, or request (like 'insisted'). In the present subjunctive, the base form of the verb (infinitive without 'to') is used, regardless of the subject. Therefore, 'implement' is the correct form.
Question 3: Despite the project's initial success, they had to ______ when they realized their budget was insufficient to see it through to completion.
- pull the plug (Correct answer)
- bite the bullet
- cut corners
- break the ice
Correct answer: pull the plug
The idiom 'pull the plug' means to stop a project or activity, usually because it is failing or no longer viable. This fits the context of an insufficient budget forcing the project to end. 'Bite the bullet' means to face a difficult situation. 'Cut corners' means to do something poorly to save money. 'Break the ice' means to initiate conversation.
Question 4: Had the scientist not meticulously documented every step, the groundbreaking discovery ______ overlooked by the review committee.
- might have been (Correct answer)
- may be
- was being
- will have been
Correct answer: might have been
This is an inverted third conditional sentence, where 'if' is omitted and the subject and auxiliary verb are inverted ('Had the scientist not...' instead of 'If the scientist had not...'). The main clause requires a modal verb (like 'might', 'could', 'would') + 'have' + past participle to describe the hypothetical past result. 'might have been' correctly completes the structure.
Question 5: The manager needs to ______ the new workflow with her team to ensure everyone understands their responsibilities.
- go over (Correct answer)
- get through
- come up with
- look into
Correct answer: go over
The phrasal verb 'go over' means to review or examine something carefully. This is the most logical action for a manager to take with a new workflow. 'Get through' means to finish or complete a task. 'Come up with' means to create or invent something. 'Look into' means to investigate.
Question 6: If I were more proficient in coding, I ______ the data analysis for my thesis myself last semester.
- would have done (Correct answer)
- would do
- had done
- will do
Correct answer: would have done
This is a mixed conditional sentence. The 'if' clause ('If I were...') uses the second conditional structure to describe a hypothetical present situation (not being proficient in coding). The main clause refers to a hypothetical past result ('last semester'), so it must use the third conditional structure ('would have + past participle'). Therefore, 'would have done' is correct.
VERSANT Sentence Completion 2
If the marketing team had anticipated the social media backlash, they ______ a different campaign slogan.