Question

As the former chair of the planning board for 18 consecutive years and a board member for 28 years, Joan Philkill attended more than 400 meetings and reviewed more than 700 rezoning applications. a) As the former b) The former c) Former d) She was e) As the .

Answer 1

E - As the chair of the...

Step-by-step explanation:

E. As the is correct given that the preposition "as" can be used to to mean "during the time of being (the thing specified). In this sentence, that would roughly be: "During the time of being the former chair...Joan attended more than 400 meetings..."

A. As the former ... is incorrect because the "as" part is correct but you can't be a former chair for 18 years. She didn't do these things as "a former chair". She did them as the chair, and now she is the former chair. B. The former ... this could be called okay (although weird), because we have a really long noun modifier ("the former chair of the planning board...") modifying another noun, "Joan Philkill". However, answer choice A would fit better because of the "as" part. C. Former is Incorrect because we need the article "the" here. We use it to refer to a person or thing that is unique. D. She was is incorrect because two independent clauses separated by a comma aren't allowed.