Josephine Paddock and Florence Esté were among the 300 artists who exhibited at the 1913 Armory Show, a groundbreaking New...

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

• Josephine Paddock and Florence Esté
  • were among the 300 artists
    • who exhibited at the 1913 Armory Show,
      • a groundbreaking New York City art exhibition
        • that introduced modernism to American audiences.
• Though shocking at the time,
• an abstract cubist painting
  • exhibited by Marcel Duchamp
    • —one of several works
      • that received scorn from critics—
  • [?] the Western art canon
    • more than a century later.

Understanding the Meaning

The first sentence gives us context:

• Josephine Paddock and Florence Esté were among 300 artists who exhibited at the 1913 Armory Show
  • This was a groundbreaking exhibition that introduced modernism to American audiences

Now the second sentence talks about one particular work from that show:

• 'Though shocking at the time'
  • Sets up a contrast - something was shocking back in 1913
• 'an abstract cubist painting exhibited by Marcel Duchamp'
  • This is what we're talking about - a specific painting
  • It was exhibited by Marcel Duchamp
• The dashes give us extra information:
  • 'one of several works that received scorn from critics'
  • So critics really didn't like this painting and others

This is where we have the blank. Let's look at the choices:

• has entered (singular present perfect)
• have entered (plural present perfect)
• were entering (past continuous)
• enter (present/plural form)

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

• The painting '______ the Western art canon more than a century later'

Now let's understand what this is telling us:

• 'The Western art canon'
  • This means the collection of works considered important and influential in Western art
• 'More than a century later'
  • From 1913 to now is more than a century
  • This phrase is telling us about the painting's status TODAY

So the complete picture is:

• The painting was shocking and scorned by critics in 1913
• BUT more than a century later, it has become part of the established Western art canon
• This is describing a transformation from shocking - accepted as important

What do we notice about the structure here?

• The subject is 'an abstract cubist painting' - this is SINGULAR
  • Even though there's extra information between the subject and the blank, the painting is what needs to do the action
• The time relationship:
  • Past: the painting was shocking (1913)
  • Present: we're talking about its status "more than a century later" (now)
  • The sentence describes something that happened between then and now and is still true today
• When we have a past action with a present result or relevance, we need present perfect tense
  • The painting entered the canon at some point after 1913
  • It remains part of the canon today
  • This is exactly what present perfect expresses

So we need:

• A verb that agrees with the SINGULAR subject "an abstract cubist painting"
• Present perfect tense to show the completed action with present relevance

The correct answer is A. has entered

• "Has" agrees with the singular subject
• Present perfect captures the transformation from shocking artwork to established part of the canon

GRAMMAR CONCEPT APPLIED

Using Present Perfect to Show Past Actions with Present Relevance

Present perfect tense (has/have + past participle) is used when we want to express that:

• An action was completed at some point in the past
• The action has results or relevance that continue into the present
• We're emphasizing the current state or result rather than exactly when it happened

The structure is:

• Singular subject: has + past participle
• Plural subject: have + past participle

Example 1: Past action with present result

• The scientist has discovered a new treatment.
  • Discovery happened in the past
  • The treatment exists now (present relevance)

Example 2: Transformation over time

• The neighborhood has changed dramatically since 2000.
  • Changes occurred between 2000 and now
  • Current state is different (present result)

In this question:

• Subject: "an abstract cubist painting" (singular) - needs "has"
• Time signal: "more than a century later" indicates we're talking about current status
• Meaning: The painting entered the canon sometime after 1913 and remains part of it today
• Present perfect "has entered" perfectly captures this past action with present relevance

Key tip: Watch for time phrases that signal present perfect:

• "more than a century later" (from past to present)
• "since then"
• "in recent years"
• Any phrase suggesting a connection between past and present

Also remember: Identify the TRUE subject by stripping away modifiers, and make sure your verb agrees with it in number!