VERSANT Sentence Completion 2

Question 1

If the marketing team had anticipated the social media backlash, they ______ a different campaign slogan.

Accepted Answer

would have chosen

Answer

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.

Accepted Answer

implement

Answer

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.

Accepted Answer

pull the plug

Answer

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.

Accepted Answer

might have been

Answer

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.

Accepted Answer

go over

Answer

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.

Versant Practice Test

Versant Practice Test

VERSANT Sentence Completion 2