The Victorian novelist George Eliot was born Mary Ann Evans in 1819. When she began publishing fiction in the 1850s,...

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 Victorian novelist George Eliot
  • was born Mary Ann Evans
    • in 1819.

• When she began publishing fiction in the 1850s,
  • she [?] by the masculine pen name George Eliot
    • to ensure her works would be taken seriously
      • by critics and readers
        • in the male-dominated literary world.

• This strategic decision
  • proved crucial to her success.

Understanding the Meaning

The first sentence gives us background information:

• The Victorian novelist George Eliot was born Mary Ann Evans in 1819.
  • So her real name was Mary Ann Evans.

Now the second sentence tells us what happened when she started her career:

• "When she began publishing fiction in the 1850s..."
  • This sets the timeframe - we're talking about the 1850s, which is past time.
  • "Began" is in past tense.

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

• "she ______ by the masculine pen name George Eliot"

Let's look at our choices:

1. will have gone (future perfect - about something in the future)
2. had gone (past perfect - about something that happened before another past event)
3. goes (present tense - about something happening now)
4. went (simple past - about something that happened in the past)

What do we notice?

• The sentence is telling us about two things that happened at the same time in the 1850s:
  • She began publishing (simple past)
  • She used the pen name (needs to match the same timeframe)

• When two actions happen at the same time in the past, we use simple past tense for both.

So we need D. went - simple past tense to show this action happened at the same time as "began publishing" in the 1850s.

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

• "to ensure her works would be taken seriously by critics and readers in the male-dominated literary world."
  • This explains why she chose a masculine pen name - so her writing would be respected in a time when male writers were taken more seriously.

The final sentence wraps it up:

• "This strategic decision proved crucial to her success."
  • Using the pen name was a smart choice that helped her career.

Grammar Concept Applied

Matching Verb Tenses to Time Context and Coordinating Actions

When actions happen at the same time in the past, use simple past tense for both actions. The time markers in your sentence tell you which tense to use, and related verbs need to coordinate.

Pattern 1: Simultaneous past actions

• When she started her business, she hired three employees.
• Both actions happened at the same time → both simple past

Pattern 2: Sequential past actions (one before the other)

• When she arrived, the meeting had already ended.
• The ending happened first → past perfect (had ended)
• The arriving happened second → simple past (arrived)

Pattern 3: Time markers determine tense

• In the 1950s, scientists discovered this phenomenon.
• "In the 1950s" tells us we need past tense

In this question:

• "When she began publishing in the 1850s, she went by the masculine pen name..."
• Both actions happened simultaneously in the 1850s
• Both use simple past tense
• The time marker (1850s) and the verb "began" signal that we need simple past for the other verb too