Wanda Diaz-Merced is an astrophysicist who lost her sight when she was young. Diaz-Merced's condition inspired her to develop software...

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:

• Wanda Diaz-Merced is an astrophysicist
  • who lost her sight
    • when she was young.

Sentence 2:

• Diaz-Merced's condition inspired her to develop software
  • that can translate scientific data into sound.

Sentence 3 (with blank):

• Sound-based tools [?] scientists to detect subtle patterns in data.

Sentence 4:

• Such patterns may not be evident in traditional graphs.

Understanding the Meaning

Let's read through and understand what we're learning:

The first two sentences give us background:

• Wanda Diaz-Merced is an astrophysicist who lost her sight
• Her condition inspired her to create software that translates scientific data into sound

Now we get to the sentence with the blank:

• "Sound-based tools ______ scientists to detect subtle patterns in data."

Now here's where we need to fill in the blank. Let's look at our choices:

1. has enabled
2. enable
3. is enabling
4. enables

What do we notice about the subject?

• The subject is "Sound-based tools"
  • This is plural - we're talking about tools (more than one)

What do we notice about the verb forms?

• Three of them work with singular subjects:
  • "has enabled" - uses "has" which goes with singular subjects
  • "is enabling" - uses "is" which goes with singular subjects
  • "enables" - has the -s ending which marks singular verbs
• Only one works with plural subjects:
  • "enable" - this is the plural form

So we need: enable

This is the only verb form that agrees with the plural subject "Sound-based tools."

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

• The final sentence tells us "Such patterns may not be evident in traditional graphs."
  • This completes the point: sound-based tools help scientists detect patterns that might be missed when just looking at graphs visually.

Grammar Concept Applied

Matching Verbs with Plural Subjects

When your subject is plural (referring to more than one thing), your verb must be in its plural form. Here's how this works in present tense:

Pattern with plural subjects:

• The tools enable scientists... (plural subject → no -s on verb)
• The scientists study patterns... (plural subject → no -s on verb)
• The graphs show data... (plural subject → no -s on verb)

Contrast with singular subjects:

• The tool enables scientists... (singular subject → -s on verb)
• The scientist studies patterns... (singular subject → -s on verb)
• The graph shows data... (singular subject → -s on verb)

With auxiliary verbs (helping verbs), the pattern is:

• Plural: The tools have enabled / are enabling
• Singular: The tool has enabled / is enabling

In this question:

• Subject: "Sound-based tools" = plural
• Correct verb: "enable" = plural form
• This creates proper agreement: "Sound-based tools enable scientists..."

The key is identifying whether your subject is singular or plural, then matching the verb form accordingly. In present tense, plural verbs look like the base form (enable, study, show), while singular verbs add an -s (enables, studies, shows).