Question

blending sound design with environments, composer janet cardiff creates works that envelop audiences in layered auditory experiences. for example, in her celebrated piece the forty part motet, cardiff arranged 40 speakers in an oval formation, each ____ an individual voice from a choral performance.
13
mark for review
which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of standard english?
a play
b plays
c playing
d would play

Explanation:

To determine the correct verb form, we analyze the sentence structure. The main clause is "Cardiff arranged 40 speakers...", and the part "each ____ an individual voice..." is a participial phrase modifying "each (speaker)". A present participle ("playing") is used here to show the action the speakers are performing simultaneously with the main action (arranging). "Play" (A) is a base form, "plays" (B) is a singular verb (but "each" here is part of a modifying phrase, not a main subject), and "would play" (D) implies a conditional or past habitual action, which doesn't fit the context of describing the speakers' action in the arrangement. So "playing" (C) is correct.

Answer:

C. playing