The acclaimed BBC documentary series Blue Planet II explores marine ecosystems around the world. In one extraordinary sequence filmed near...

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

Sentence 1:

• The acclaimed BBC documentary series Blue Planet II explores marine ecosystems around the world.

Sentence 2:

• In one extraordinary sequence filmed near Antarctica,
• a seal [? - went/goes/had gone/will have gone] by the name "weddell seal" demonstrates its remarkable diving abilities, descending over 2,000 feet beneath the ice.

Sentence 3:

• The footage reveals how these mammals thrive in extreme polar conditions.

Understanding the Meaning

Let's start from the beginning:

Sentence 1 tells us:

• 'The acclaimed BBC documentary series Blue Planet II explores marine ecosystems around the world.'
  • This documentary series is about ocean life around the planet.
  • Notice the verb: "explores" - present tense.

Now Sentence 2:

• 'In one extraordinary sequence filmed near Antarctica,'
  • We're zooming in on one particular scene from the documentary.
  • This scene was filmed near Antarctica.

• 'a seal _____ by the name "weddell seal"'
  • This is where we have the blank.

Let's look at the choices:

• They're all different forms of the same verb, in different tenses.
• We need to figure out which tense fits here.

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

• 'demonstrates its remarkable diving abilities,'
  • This is what the seal does in the sequence - it shows off how well it can dive.
  • Notice: "demonstrates" is present tense.

• 'descending over 2,000 feet beneath the ice.'
  • This gives us more detail about just how impressive this diving is.

Sentence 3:

• 'The footage reveals how these mammals thrive in extreme polar conditions.'
  • The documentary footage shows us how these seals live in harsh environments.
  • Notice: "reveals" is present tense, and "thrive" is present tense.

What do we notice about the verb tenses?

• Every main verb in this passage is in present tense:
  • Sentence 1: "explores"
  • Sentence 2: "demonstrates"
  • Sentence 3: "reveals," "thrive"

• This is because when we describe what happens in a documentary (or movie, or book), we use present tense - even though it was filmed in the past, we describe what viewers see as if it's happening now.

Now, looking at the blank:

• The phrase "_____ by the name 'weddell seal'" is an idiomatic expression.
• "Goes by the name" means "is called" or "is known as."
• This is a descriptive phrase telling us what this seal is called.
• It needs to match the present tense pattern of the rest of the passage.

So we need goes - this maintains the present tense consistency throughout the passage and uses the correct idiomatic expression "goes by the name."

GRAMMAR CONCEPT APPLIED

Maintaining Verb Tense Consistency in a Passage

When describing what happens in a documentary, film, book, or other completed work, we use present tense (called the narrative present or literary present in grammar terms). Even though the documentary was filmed in the past, we describe what viewers see as if it's happening in the present moment.

Pattern: All verbs in the passage should maintain the same tense unless there's a clear reason to shift

Example from this passage:

• Sentence 1: "The series explores..." (present)
• Sentence 2: "a seal goes by the name..." and "demonstrates its abilities..." (present)
• Sentence 3: "The footage reveals..." and "mammals thrive..." (present)

Why it works:

• All main verbs are in present tense, creating consistency
• This is the standard way to describe what happens in documentaries and other narrative works
• The reader/viewer experiences it in the present, so we use present tense

Additional element - Idiomatic expressions:

• "Goes by the name" is a fixed expression meaning "is called/known as"
• This idiom always uses present tense "goes," not "went" or other forms

In this question, both principles point to the same answer: goes maintains tense consistency and uses the correct idiomatic form.