The 2019 analysis of data from multiple Kepler Space Telescope observation campaigns, which examined thousands of planetary systems across various...

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

• The 2019 analysis
• of data
  • from multiple Kepler Space Telescope observation campaigns,
    • which examined thousands of planetary systems
      • across various stellar environments,
• [?] scientists' understanding
  • of how rocky planets form in orbit around distant stars.

Understanding the Meaning

Let's read from the beginning and understand what this sentence is about:

'The 2019 analysis'

• This is what the sentence is about - a specific analysis done in 2019.
• Notice this is singular: one analysis (not multiple "analyses").

'of data from multiple Kepler Space Telescope observation campaigns'

• This tells us what was being analyzed - data from space telescope campaigns.
• These campaigns were from the Kepler Space Telescope.

'which examined thousands of planetary systems across various stellar environments'

• This describes what those campaigns did.
• They looked at thousands of planetary systems in different types of stellar environments.

Now here's where we need to fill in the blank:

• 'The 2019 analysis _____ scientists' understanding'

Let's look at our choices:

1. have transformed (plural)
2. are transforming (plural)
3. has transformed (singular)
4. transform (plural)

What do we notice about the structure here?

• The true subject of this sentence is "The 2019 analysis" - singular.
• All those phrases about the data and the campaigns are just describing which analysis we're talking about.
• They come between the subject and where the verb needs to go, but they don't change the fact that we have one singular subject: "analysis."

So we need a singular verb to match "analysis":

• The correct answer is C. has transformed

Now let's read the rest to see the complete picture:

• 'scientists' understanding of how rocky planets form in orbit around distant stars.'

So the complete meaning is:

• This 2019 analysis of Kepler telescope data has changed (transformed) the way scientists understand how rocky planets form around distant stars.

GRAMMAR CONCEPT APPLIED

Matching Verbs to Subjects When They're Separated by Descriptive Information

When a subject and its verb are separated by descriptive phrases or clauses, you need to identify the true subject and ignore the intervening words:

Pattern:

• Subject + [descriptive information that might contain other nouns] + Verb
• The verb must agree with the subject, not with nouns in the descriptive information

Example 1:

• The student, along with her three friends, is going to the concert.
• Subject: "student" (singular)
• Intervening phrase: "along with her three friends"
• Verb: "is" (singular) - agrees with "student," not "friends"

Example 2:

• The results of the experiment were surprising.
• Subject: "results" (plural)
• Intervening phrase: "of the experiment"
• Verb: "were" (plural) - agrees with "results," not "experiment"

In our question:

• The 2019 analysis [of data from multiple campaigns, which examined thousands of systems] has transformed scientists' understanding.
• Subject: "analysis" (singular)
• Intervening phrases: about the data and campaigns (containing plural nouns like "campaigns" and "systems")
• Verb: "has transformed" (singular) - correctly agrees with "analysis"

The key is to mentally strip away all the descriptive information between the subject and verb to see the core relationship clearly: "The analysis... has transformed understanding."