Building a digital archive

The deciding clue is “Had the library [1] _____ only on volunteers’ memories, many dates would have remained uncertain.”. Had + subject + past participle is an inverted if-clause about an unreal past alternative. It means if ... had relied...; it does not state that reliance actually occurred. In this task, the completed sentence is “Had the library relied only on volunteers’ memories, many dates would have remained uncertain.”.

The deciding clue is “Instead, its archive team agreed to take the limits of each source into [2] _____.”. Take something into account means include it when making a decision; the noun account completes this fixed expression. In this task, the completed sentence is “Instead, its archive team agreed to take the limits of each source into account.”.

The deciding clue is “By the time the public launch was announced, the team [3] _____ photographs for nine months.”. Use had been + -ing to express the duration of activity leading up to a past point, including evidence of recent activity. In this task, the completed sentence is “By the time the public launch was announced, the team had been scanning photographs for nine months.”.

The deciding clue is “The most [4] _____ discovery concerned a group of photographs that had been labelled incorrectly.”. The gap describes the following finding/discovery/improvement; an adjective, significant, is needed after the most. In this task, the completed sentence is “The most significant discovery concerned a group of photographs that had been labelled incorrectly.”.

The deciding clue is “[5] _____ the labels looked official, two independent records contradicted them.”. Use although/even though + finite clause to express a concession followed by a subject and finite verb. In this task, the completed sentence is “Although the labels looked official, two independent records contradicted them.”.

The deciding clue is “The archivist recommended [6] _____ both the original labels and the corrections in the database.”. Propose/recommend followed directly by an action takes an -ing complement here. The plan is the action itself, not a finite tense or an inserted to-infinitive. In this task, the completed sentence is “The archivist recommended including both the original labels and the corrections in the database.”.

The deciding clue is “Her report placed particular emphasis [7] _____ explaining why each correction had been made.”. The collocation is based on for a basis, or place emphasis on for a focus. In the completed sentence, on introduces the stated basis or focus. In this task, the completed sentence is “Her report placed particular emphasis on explaining why each correction had been made.”.

The deciding clue is “The team consulted a resident [8] _____ family had owned several of the photographs.”. The relative clause starts with a noun associated with the antecedent, such as work, family or objections. Whose marks that possessive connection while the following noun remains in place. In this task, the completed sentence is “The team consulted a resident whose family had owned several of the photographs.”.

The deciding clue is “Only after the evidence had been compared [9] _____ the team approve the revised dates.”. Use only after/until + clause; inverted main clause to express inversion in the main clause, not inside the clause introduced by after or until. In this task, the completed sentence is “Only after the evidence had been compared did the team approve the revised dates.”.

The deciding clue is “The aim was to make uncertainty visible, [10] _____ than hide it behind confident descriptions.”. Rather than contrasts the intended action with the alternative being rejected; the two actions have parallel grammatical roles. In this task, the completed sentence is “The aim was to make uncertainty visible, rather than hide it behind confident descriptions.”.

The deciding clue is “[11] _____ the ownership records, the archivist asked permission before making the images public.”. Use having + past participle to express a completed action explicitly preceding the main-clause event. In this task, the completed sentence is “Having examined the ownership records, the archivist asked permission before making the images public.”.

The deciding clue is “Had the team ignored those records, it [12] _____ images without the necessary permission.”. Use would have + past participle to express the unreal past result of a condition that did not happen. In this task, the completed sentence is “Had the team ignored those records, it would have published images without the necessary permission.”.