After discovering radium in 1898, Marie Curie faced significant obstacles in the male-dominated scientific community. Despite being denied laboratory ...

Let's begin by understanding the meaning of this sentence. We'll use our understanding of pause points and segment the sentence as shown - understanding and assimilating the meaning of each segment bit by bit!

Sentence Structure

• After discovering radium in 1898,
  • Marie Curie faced significant obstacles
    • in the male-dominated scientific community.
• Despite being denied laboratory facilities and academic positions,
  • Curie [?] her groundbreaking findings
    • to revolutionize our understanding of radioactivity and atomic structure.

Understanding the Meaning

The passage starts by giving us historical context:

• 'After discovering radium in 1898, Marie Curie faced significant obstacles in the male-dominated scientific community.'
  • This tells us we're talking about events from the past - specifically from 1898 onward.
  • The verb 'faced' is in past tense, establishing we're discussing historical events.

Now the second sentence continues:

• 'Despite being denied laboratory facilities and academic positions...'
  • This describes the obstacles she encountered - also past events.
  • Even with these barriers in her way...

Here's where we need to fill in the blank:

• 'Curie _____ her groundbreaking findings to revolutionize our understanding of radioactivity and atomic structure.'

Let's look at our choices and see what they're asking us to decide:

• A: has transformed (present perfect)
• B: transformed (simple past)
• C: is transforming (present continuous)
• D: will transform (future)

So we're choosing between different verb tenses - different time frames.

What do we notice about the time context here?

• The first sentence establishes we're discussing historical events
  • The specific date: 1898
  • The past tense verb: 'faced'
• The second sentence continues describing what happened during that historical period
  • 'being denied' refers to past obstacles
  • The blank describes what she did with her findings - this is a completed historical action
• We're talking about Marie Curie's completed work from over a century ago
  • These are finished historical events
  • Not something happening now or in the future

So we need the simple past tense: transformed

This matches the historical context and maintains consistency with the past tense established throughout the passage.

GRAMMAR CONCEPT APPLIED

Matching Verb Tense to Time Context

When you're writing about events, your verb tense needs to match the time context established in the passage. Time markers and other verbs help establish when events occurred, and your verbs should maintain that consistency.

For historical or completed past events:

• Use simple past tense
• Look for clues like specific dates, past tense verbs, or references to completed actions

Example Pattern:

• Time marker established: "In 1969, Neil Armstrong landed on the moon."
  • Date (1969) + past tense verb (landed) = past time context
• Continuing in same context: "Despite facing technical difficulties, he _____ the mission successfully."
  • Need: completed (simple past) - matches the historical context
  • Not: has completed, is completing, or will complete

In this question:

• First sentence: "After discovering radium in 1898, Marie Curie faced..."
  • Specific date + past tense = historical/past context
• Second sentence needs: "Curie transformed..."
  • Simple past maintains consistency with the established time frame
  • Describes a completed historical action

Key principle: When dates, past tense verbs, or historical context establish that you're discussing completed past events, use simple past tense (this is sometimes called "narrative past" in grammar terms) to maintain consistency throughout the passage.