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Practice Reading: Fill in The Blanks (Drag & Drop) ID: #35448 Australian Women Novelist
Instructions ›
In the text below some words are missing. Drag words from the box below to the appropriate place in the text. To undo an answer choice, drag the word back to the box below the text.
* Drag the correct answer into all target fields
In  the  literary  world,  it  was  an  accepted  assumption  that  the  1970s  was  a  time  of  unprecedented  growth  in  homegrown  Australian  fiction.  And  everybody  was  reading  and  talking  about  books  by  young  Australian  women.
But  it  was    that  a  researcher  was  able  to  measure  just  how  many  novels  were  published  in  that  decade,  and  she  found  that  there    a  decline  in  novels  by  Australian  writers  overall,  but  confirmed  an  increase  in  women's  novels.
It  is  this  sort  of  research  -  testing  ideas  about  literary  history  -  that    with  the  spread  of  ‘Digital  Humanities.'  
The  intersection  of  Humanities  and  digital  technologies    opportunities  in  the  fields  of  literature,  linguistics,  history  and  language  that  were  not  possible  without  computational  methods  and  digitised  resources  to  bring  information  together  in  an  accessible  way.  Transcription  software  is  being  developed  for  turning  scans  of  books  and  documents  into  text,  as  the  field  of  digital  humanities  really  .

takes over is opening up had been were impossible is becoming possible takes off until right now not until recently

Result:

AI explanationShows the answer. Tap to open.
Correct answer: not until recently

Explanation: The phrase 'not until recently' indicates a specific time frame that aligns with the context of the sentence, suggesting that the measurement of novels published was only possible in the recent past. This fits grammatically as it introduces a temporal clause.

Meaning: 'Not until recently' means that something has only started happening in the near past.

Wrong options:

  • until right now: 'Until right now' implies an ongoing situation that has just changed, which does not fit the context of a completed action in the past.
  • had been: 'Had been' is a past perfect tense that does not indicate a specific time frame and does not fit the context of the sentence.
  • is becoming possible: 'Is becoming possible' suggests an ongoing process, which does not align with the retrospective nature of the statement.
  • were impossible: 'Were impossible' indicates a state that no longer exists, which contradicts the idea of recent developments in research.
  • takes over: 'Takes over' implies a takeover or dominance, which does not relate to the timing of the research being conducted.
Correct answer: had been

Explanation: The phrase 'had been' is in the past perfect tense, indicating that the decline in novels occurred before the researcher made her findings. This fits grammatically and contextually as it refers to a past event that preceded another past event.

Meaning: 'Had been' indicates that something existed or occurred in the past before another past event.

Wrong options:

  • were impossible: 'Were impossible' suggests a state that does not fit the context of measuring the number of novels published.
  • not until recently: 'Not until recently' refers to a time frame and does not fit as a verb phrase in this context.
  • is becoming possible: 'Is becoming possible' indicates an ongoing process, which does not align with the past context of the sentence.
  • takes over: 'Takes over' implies a current action and does not fit the past tense required here.
  • until right now: 'Until right now' suggests a change that does not fit the past perfect structure needed in this context.
Correct answer: is becoming possible

Explanation: The phrase 'is becoming possible' indicates a current trend or development in research capabilities, fitting grammatically as it uses the present continuous tense to describe an ongoing change.

Meaning: 'Is becoming possible' means that something is starting to be achievable or feasible.

Wrong options:

  • is opening up: 'Is opening up' suggests opportunities rather than the possibility of research itself, which does not fit the context of the sentence.
  • takes off: 'Takes off' implies a sudden success or popularity, which does not relate to the gradual process of research becoming possible.
  • takes over: 'Takes over' suggests dominance, which does not fit the context of research capabilities.
  • were impossible: 'Were impossible' indicates a past state that does not align with the current developments in research.
  • had been: 'Had been' is a past perfect tense that does not fit the present context of the sentence.
Correct answer: is opening up

Explanation: The phrase 'is opening up' indicates that new opportunities are becoming available, fitting grammatically as it uses the present continuous tense to describe an ongoing action.

Meaning: 'Is opening up' means that new possibilities or opportunities are emerging.

Wrong options:

  • takes off: 'Takes off' implies a sudden success, which does not fit the context of opportunities emerging gradually.
  • were impossible: 'Were impossible' suggests a past state that does not align with the current emergence of opportunities.
  • had been: 'Had been' is a past perfect tense that does not fit the present context of the sentence.
  • is becoming possible: 'Is becoming possible' refers to the feasibility of research rather than the emergence of opportunities.
  • takes over: 'Takes over' implies dominance, which does not relate to the opening of opportunities.
Correct answer: takes off

Explanation: The phrase 'takes off' indicates that the field of digital humanities is experiencing rapid growth or success, fitting grammatically as it uses the present simple tense to describe a current state.

Meaning: 'Takes off' means to become successful or popular quickly.

Wrong options:

  • were impossible: 'Were impossible' suggests a past state that does not align with the current growth of the field.
  • had been: 'Had been' is a past perfect tense that does not fit the present context of the sentence.
  • is becoming possible: 'Is becoming possible' refers to the feasibility of research rather than the success of the field itself.
  • takes over: 'Takes over' implies dominance, which does not relate to the growth of the field.
  • is opening up: 'Is opening up' suggests opportunities rather than the success of the field, which does not fit the context.

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