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Sentence Correction 5 / 50

Choose the option that best corrects the grammatical or logical error in the underlined fragment.

Neither the protracted negotiations between the warring factions, frequently marred by sudden breakdowns, nor the newly proposed peace initiative appear to offer a viable path toward lasting reconciliation.

A. (No change)
B. appears to offer a viable path
C. is appearing to offer a viable path
D. do appear to offer a viable path

1. Identification of Error: Subject-Verb Agreement with Neither/Nor construction.
2. Grammatical Rule: In a Neither/Nor construction, the verb must agree in number with the subject that is closer to it. Here, 'the newly proposed peace initiative' (singular) is the subject closest to the verb.
3. Option Elimination:
A. Incorrect — 'appear' is plural, but the closer subject 'peace initiative' is singular.
B. Correct — 'appears' is singular, correctly agreeing with the singular subject 'peace initiative'.
C. Incorrect — 'is appearing' uses an awkward progressive tense that is not appropriate here, and also maintains an agreement error if 'is' were the primary verb of the clause.
D. Incorrect — 'do appear' uses a plural auxiliary verb 'do' and a plural main verb 'appear', which do not agree with the singular subject 'peace initiative'.

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