The Dust Bowl was a period of severe drought that plagued the Great Plains of the US during the 1930s.

Question

The Dust Bowl was a period of severe drought that plagued the Great Plains of the US during the 1930s. During this time, dust storms blank over 100 million acres of land. They even reached as far east as California City.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

Accepted Answer

Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense in a sentence. In this choice, the past tense verb "affected," used in conjunction with the phrase "during this time," correctly indies that the dust storms occurred in the 1930s. Choice A is incorrect because the present progressive tense verb "are affecting" doesn&rsquo;t indie that the dust storms occurred in the 1930s. Choice B is incorrect because the future perfect tense verb "will have affected" doesn&rsquo;t indie that the dust storms occurred in the 1930s. Choice C is incorrect because the future tense verb "will affect" doesn&rsquo;t indie that the dust storms occurred in the 1930s.

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