Select the most appropriate option that can substitute the underlined words in the given sentence.
This newly arisen evidence could have proved to finally put the culprit behind bars.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
The correct answer is option 4 i.e. could have been proven.
The sentence talks about newly arisen evidence that might have helped in convicting the culprit in the past.
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could have been proven correctly expresses a past possibility
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is proof = present certainty (wrong tense)
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can proof = grammatically incorrect
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can be proven = present/future possibility, not past