Complete the passage by filling in the blanks with the most appropriate words.
In the ever-evolving world of technology, social media apps have come and gone. Some apps, once the dominant platforms for communication and social interaction, are now rarely used. One such app was 'Myspace,' which was immensely popular in the early 2000s. It allowed users to create personalized profiles, share music, and connect with friends. However, ______ A ______ social media landscape has changed, and Myspace could no longer compete with newer apps like 'Facebook' and 'Instagram.' Similarly, 'Friendster,' an early social networking site, ______ B ______ the way for platforms we now take for granted. But despite its initial success, Friendster's user base declined sharply due to technical issues and competition from emerging platforms. As more social apps entered the scene, people eventually began to gravitate towards those that offered a more streamlined, engaging experience, leaving older apps ______ C ______. Although some people still ______ D ______ (reminisce) about these earlier platforms, the digital age has moved on and now plays a much larger role in shaping our online lives. It is a reminder of how quickly technology ______ E ______ (evolves) and how the next new app can quickly replace the old.
Choose the correct form of the verb to fill in blank (B).
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
Correct Answer
paved
Explanation
The blank requires a verb that matches the historical context of the sentence. The sentence talks about 'Friendster,' which is clearly identified as 'an early social networking site,' and notes its role in laying the foundation for modern platforms. Because the text is describing historical events that occurred and concluded in the past, the sentence must use the simple past tense. The simple past tense form of the verb 'pave' is 'paved'.
The other options fail to use the correct grammatical tense or agreement. 'Pave' is a base plural verb in the present tense, which does not match a singular historical subject. 'Paves' is a singular present tense verb, which incorrectly suggests Friendster is still actively doing this action today. 'Are paving' is a plural continuous verb phrase, which creates a tense error and a subject-verb agreement mistake.
Key Points
When working through fill-in-the-blank text exercises, look for temporal clues in the surrounding sentences to determine the proper tense. The passage uses past tense markers like 'was immensely popular,' 'allowed,' 'changed,' and 'declined,' indicating that the entire paragraph belongs firmly in the past tense.