Choose the grammatically correct option to fill in the blank: "Neither the chief propulsion test engineer nor the telemetry analysts _______ present during the static engine test abort sequence."

(A) were

(B) was

(C) is

(D) has been

Answer Key:

Verified in official key

### 1. Strategy & Theoretical Principles By the **Rule of Proximity** for correlative conjunctions (*neither ... nor*, *either ... or*): When two subjects differing in grammatical number are joined by *neither ... nor*, the finite verb must agree in person and number with the subject closest to it. ### 2. Sentence Breakdown - First subject: "the chief propulsion test engineer" (singular). - Second subject: "the telemetry analysts" (plural). - The blank is located immediately next to "the telemetry analysts" (plural). - Past tense context ("during the abort sequence") requires plural past auxiliary: **were**. ### 3. Distractor Forensics - **were:** Correct plural verb agreeing with the proximate plural subject. - **was:** Incorrectly agrees with the first singular subject. ### 4. Exam Trap & Standard Reference - **Trap Alert:** Under *neither...nor*, the verb always agrees with the subject *closer* to the verb. - **Standard Reference:** Murphy, R., *English Grammar in Use*, Cambridge University Press.

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