Question

In 1881, French chemist Camille Faure redesigned the rechargeable lead-acid battery. Faure's design greatly increased the amount of electricity that the original battery, which the French physicist Gaston Planté ______ fifteen years earlier, could hold. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of standard English?

1) is inventing
2) will invent
3) had invented
4) invents

Answer 1

The correct phrase to complete the text, fitting standard English conventions, is 'had invented', indicating a past perfect tense event.

Step-by-step explanation:

In 1881, French chemist Camille Faure redesigned the rechargeable lead-acid battery. Faure's design greatly increased the amount of electricity that the original battery, which the French physicist Gaston Planté had invented fifteen years earlier, could hold. The correct choice to complete the text and conform to the conventions of standard English grammar is option 3) had invented. This is because the sentence is describing an event in the past perfect tense, indicating that Planté's invention occurred before another past event, that is Faure's redesign of the battery.