In this English grammar improvement question, choose the alternative that best improves the bracketed part of the sentence: "Venezuelans (were being) deprived of food and medicines for the past year."

Introduction / Context:
This question tests your understanding of English tense and aspect, especially how to describe an action that started in the past and has continued up to the present. The sentence refers to Venezuelans being deprived of food and medicines "for the past year", which clearly shows an ongoing situation from a point in the past until now. You must select the verb form that correctly expresses this continuous period in standard English.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The original sentence is: "Venezuelans (were being) deprived of food and medicines for the past year."
• The phrase "for the past year" implies duration from past up to the present.
• The options are "were", "are", "have been", "no improvement", and "had been".
• The context suggests the speaker is talking at the end of that year-long period, not long after it finished.

Concept / Approach:
When we talk about an action that started in the past and continues up to the time of speaking, we normally use the present perfect or present perfect continuous. In passive voice, this becomes "have been" + past participle. Therefore, "have been deprived" fits the meaning of ongoing deprivation over a period. The form "were being deprived" suggests a past continuous passive process at some specific past time, which does not match the idea of "for the past year" continuing up to now. "Were" alone suggests a finished state in the past, while "had been" pushes the action further back before a past reference point.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Interpret "for the past year" as indicating duration from a point in the past up to the present. Step 2: Recall that present perfect passive is formed using "have been" + past participle. Step 3: Check option C "have been". It gives "Venezuelans have been deprived of food and medicines for the past year", which matches the time frame perfectly. Step 4: Consider the original "were being deprived". This usually refers to a past continuous process at some specific time, for example, "They were being deprived when we visited", which is not what "for the past year" suggests. Step 5: Option A "were" would give "Venezuelans were deprived ... for the past year", which can sound like a completed condition, but does not emphasise the continuity into the present. Step 6: Option B "are" would give "are deprived for the past year", which mixes present simple with a finished period and is incorrect. Step 7: Option E "had been" is past perfect and would mean the deprivation had already ended before another past point, which is not stated.

Verification / Alternative check:
Compare with standard patterns: "They have been unemployed for the past year", "She has been ill for the last two weeks". In both examples, the problem started in the past and continues now. Changing "have been" to "were being" would no longer refer to an unbroken period up to the present. Thus, "have been deprived" is the only form that fully captures the intended meaning in the sentence about Venezuelans.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
"were" does not emphasise continuity up to the present and can be read as a completed past state. "are" conflicts with the time phrase "for the past year". "Were being" again marks a specific time in the past and not a whole year up to now. "Had been" shifts the focus to a time before some other past event, which is not mentioned in the sentence. "No improvement" is wrong because the original form does not best represent the given time expression.

Common Pitfalls:
Many candidates mechanically choose past continuous or simple past whenever they see "were" or "was" in the original sentence, without checking the time expressions carefully. Others may think present perfect tense is only for active voice or personal experiences. To avoid errors, always look at phrases like "for the past year", "for the last two months", or "since 2010", and prefer present perfect (passive or active) when the action clearly continues up to the time of speaking.

Final Answer:
The correct improvement is have been, so the sentence should read: "Venezuelans have been deprived of food and medicines for the past year."