Choose the correct verbal construction for the impersonal evaluative statement:

It is imperative that every participating institution ________ its financial audit records to the oversight commission.

Answer and explanation

Correct answer: D. submit

Answer: submit. Why not the others: 'submits' applies third-person singular indicative agreement, which is non-standard in formal subjunctive structures; 'submitted' shifts into the indicative past tense; 'has submitted' imposes present perfect indicative aspect where the base subjunctive is required.
  1. Step 1: Observe the matrix construction: 'It is imperative that' is an impersonal evaluative frame expressing necessity, which governs a mandative subjunctive clause.
  2. Step 2: Select the mandative subjunctive form: the uninflected base verb 'submit' is required regardless of the singular subject 'every participating institution'.

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