Select the correct expression to complete the inverted counterfactual statement:
________ the prompt intervention of wildlife veterinary teams, several endangered Malayan tiger cubs would have perished from dehydration.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Had it not been for
Answer: Had it not been for. Why not the others: 'Were it not for' introduces a hypothetical present/future condition (second conditional) rather than a completed past scenario; 'If it was not for' uses colloquial past indicative 'was' and retains 'if'; 'Should it not be for' introduces a hypothetical present contingency.
- Step 1: Examine the main clause predicate: 'would have perished' indicates a past counterfactual result (third conditional).
- Step 2: The corresponding inverted conditional structure for a counterfactual past precondition is 'Had it not been for [noun phrase]', omitting 'if' and fronting the auxiliary 'Had'.
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