1. What change needs to be made to sentence 3 to make it grammatically correct? 'The study concluded that, on average, areas containing more well-maintained greenery has lower crime rates than areas with less greenery.'
Answer: C
Change “has” to “have”
To make the sentence grammatically correct, the verb “has” should be changed to “have” to agree with the plural subject “areas.” This ensures that the subject-verb agreement is maintained in the sentence.
A) Change “concluded” to “concludes”
Changing “concluded” to “concludes” would alter the tense of the verb, but it does not address the main grammatical error regarding subject-verb agreement. The original tense is appropriate given that the study's findings are being reported.
B) Change “containing” to “contained”
Changing “containing” to “contained” would not resolve the grammatical issue present in the sentence. The gerund “containing” correctly describes the areas, and altering it would not contribute to the grammatical correctness of the sentence.
C) Change “has” to “have”
This change is necessary for grammatical accuracy, as “areas” is a plural noun and requires the plural verb “have” to ensure proper subject-verb agreement. This adjustment directly addresses the error in the original sentence.
D) Change “lower crime rates” to “a lower crime rate”
While this change might offer a stylistic variation, it does not rectify the grammatical error regarding subject-verb agreement. The phrase “lower crime rates” is acceptable and does not need modification to be grammatically correct.
Conclusion
The necessary adjustment to ensure grammatical accuracy is to change “has” to “have,” aligning the verb with the plural subject “areas.” All other options either do not address the grammatical issue or alter the meaning without providing a necessary correction. Thus, option C is the definitive choice for making the sentence correct.