If skilled navigators from Polynesia _____ the remote islands of the South Pacific using traditional wayfinding methods and established settlements—a...

Sentence Structure

• If skilled navigators from Polynesia (?) the remote islands of the South Pacific
  • using traditional wayfinding methods
  • and established settlements
  • —a scenario researcher Ben Finney confirmed
    • through experimental voyages
    • in the 1970s—
• these early settlers could have transmitted their astronomical knowledge
  • to subsequent generations,
  • shaping the distinctive maritime cultures
    • that persisted for centuries.
• Where (?) = [locate / will locate / had located / are locating]

Understanding the Meaning

Let's start reading from the beginning to understand what this sentence is about.

The sentence opens with 'If':

• This signals we're about to get a hypothetical situation or condition.

'If skilled navigators from Polynesia _____ the remote islands of the South Pacific...'

• This is where we have the blank.
• Let's look at the choices - they're all different forms of the verb 'locate':
  • locate (present)
  • will locate (future)
  • had located (past perfect)
  • are locating (present progressive)

To see what works here, let's read the rest of the sentence and understand what it's saying!

The sentence continues:

• 'using traditional wayfinding methods and established settlements'
  • So these navigators both located the islands AND established settlements there.
  • Notice 'established' is past tense.

Then we get extra information in the dashes:

• '—a scenario researcher Ben Finney confirmed through experimental voyages in the 1970s—'
  • This tells us a researcher named Ben Finney actually confirmed this scenario was possible.
  • He did this through experiments in the 1970s (past).

After the dashes, the sentence completes its thought:

• 'these early settlers could have transmitted their astronomical knowledge to subsequent generations'
  • 'could have transmitted' - this is talking about something that possibly happened in the past as a result of the 'if' condition.
• 'shaping the distinctive maritime cultures that persisted for centuries'
  • This describes the long-term impact.

Now let's think about what the whole sentence is doing:

The sentence is presenting a hypothetical about the past:

• IF (in the past) these navigators located the islands and settled there...
• THEN (as a result) they could have transmitted their knowledge to future generations.

What do we notice about the structure here?

• The main clause uses 'could have transmitted'
  • This is expressing a possibility about something in the past.
  • It's the form we use for hypothetical past situations.
• When we express this kind of 'If this had happened in the past, then this could have resulted' structure, we need past perfect in the 'if' part.
• The pattern is: 'If [past perfect], then [could have + past participle]'
• Also notice that 'established' is coordinated with our blank verb:
  • '_____ the remote islands... and established settlements'
  • In English, when we have compound verbs with past perfect, we can share the auxiliary: 'had located... and [had] established'

So we need had located to complete this past hypothetical conditional structure.

The correct answer is C. had located.

GRAMMAR CONCEPT APPLIED

Hypothetical Conditionals About the Past

When we want to talk about a hypothetical situation in the past and imagine what could have resulted from it, we use a specific structure (called the past unreal conditional or third conditional in grammar terms):

Structure:

• 'If' clause: past perfect (had + past participle)
• Main clause: modal verb + have + past participle (could have/would have/might have + past participle)

Examples:

• 'If the explorers had discovered the route, they could have established trade earlier.'
  • Had discovered = past perfect (hypothetical past condition)
  • Could have established = modal + have + past participle (hypothetical past result)
• 'If the manuscript had survived, scholars would have learned more about ancient practices.'
  • Had survived = past perfect
  • Would have learned = modal + have + past participle

How it applies to our question:

Our sentence follows this exact pattern:

• 'If' clause: 'If skilled navigators had located the islands and established settlements' (past perfect)
• Main clause: 'these early settlers could have transmitted their knowledge' (could + have + past participle)

This structure tells us: IF this happened in the past (which is hypothetical or uncertain), THEN this consequence could have followed. The past perfect in the 'if' clause is essential to create this meaning.