The ghazal, a poetic form originating in seventh-century Arabic poetry, has an intrie structure. The twentieth-century Kashmiri American poet Agha

Question

The ghazal, a poetic form originating in seventh-century Arabic poetry, has an intrie structure. The twentieth-century Kashmiri American poet Agha Shahid Ali explains that each one of a ghazal’s couplets, while adhering to the patterns of rhyme (qafia) and refrain (radif) established in the poem’s opening lines (matla), blank thematically and logically autonomous, resulting in a poem with “a stringently formal disunity.”

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

A.

is

B.

were

C.

have been

D.

are

Accepted Answer

Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verb forms within a sentence. The singular verb "is" agrees in number with the singular subject "each one of a ghazal’s couplets." While the prepositional phrase "of a ghazal’s couplets" within the subject contains a plural noun, the head of the subject ("each one") is singular, indiing that each individual couplet (not the couplets as a group) is "thematically and logically autonomous," or self-standing.

Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb "were" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "each one of a ghazal’s couplets." Choice C is incorrect because the plural verb "have been" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "each one of a ghazal’s couplets." Choice D is incorrect because the plural verb "are" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "each one of a ghazal’s couplets."

Question the-gh

The ghazal, a poetic form originating in seventh-century Arabic poetry, has an intrie structure. The twentieth-century

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