In Hafez's Divān, the writer muses on love, faith, and protest. So impactful is this particular work by Hafez, a Persian lyric poet whose authorial perspective was at once mystical and critical, that its ruminations on fourteenth-century Persian life _____ Iranian society hundreds of years later.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Explanation
Context: The true subject is "its ruminations" — plural. "A Persian lyric poet whose authorial perspective was at once mystical and critical" is a parenthetical distractor.
Answer: A) influence
Why? Plural subject "its ruminations" → plural present verb "influence." Simple present for an ongoing cultural influence.
Traps:
- B) influences → singular, wrong for plural "ruminations"
- C) is influencing → singular progressive, wrong number
- D) has influenced → singular perfect, wrong number