Choose the correct alternative which will improve the quoted part of the given…
2023
Choose the correct alternative which will improve the quoted part of the given sentence.
Her knowledge of medicine 'have been acquired' under an aged man.
- A.
Had acquired
- B.
Has acquired
- C.
Had been acquired
- D.
No improvement
Attempted by 37 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Correct answer: Had been acquired
Explanation –
Subject and agreement: The subject "Her knowledge of medicine" is singular, so the auxiliary must agree (not "have").
Voice: "Knowledge" is not the agent that performs acquiring, so a passive form is appropriate to show that the knowledge was obtained by someone (or from someone).
Tense choice: "Had been acquired" is past perfect passive. It correctly expresses that the acquisition took place before some past reference. If no earlier past reference exists, other grammatical alternatives (for example, "was acquired" or "has been acquired") might be possible, but among the given options the grammatically correct improvement is "had been acquired."
Alternative wording: To use an active form, rephrase the sentence as "She had acquired knowledge of medicine under an aged man."