For a hundred years or so, some critics . . . . . . . . that poetry is dying, and all that time poets . . . . . . . . poems that later generations recognize as great. A. have maintained/have been writing B. maintained/wrote C. had maintained/were writing D. maintain/are writing E. would maintain/had been writing

[amp_mcq option1=”have maintained/have been writing” option2=”maintained/wrote” option3=”had maintained/were writing” option4=”maintain/are writing E. would maintain/had been writing” correct=”option1″]

The correct answer is: A. have maintained/have been writing

The sentence is in the present perfect continuous tense, which is used to talk about actions that started in the past and continue to the present. In this case, the critics have been maintaining that poetry is dying for a hundred years or so. The poets, on the other hand, have been writing poems that later generations recognize as great.

The other options are incorrect because they do not use the present perfect continuous tense. Option B, maintained/wrote, is in the simple past tense. This tense is used to talk about actions that happened at a specific time in the past. Option C, had maintained/were writing, is in the past perfect continuous tense. This tense is used to talk about actions that started and ended in the past. Option D, maintain/are writing, is in the simple present tense. This tense is used to talk about actions that happen regularly or repeatedly. Option E, would maintain/had been writing, is in the conditional perfect continuous tense. This tense is used to talk about actions that would have happened if something else had happened.

In conclusion, the correct answer is A. have maintained/have been writing.