In 1637, the price of tulips skyrocketed in Amsterdam, with single bulbs of rare varieties selling for up to the equivalent of
$200,000 in today’s US dollars. Some historians ______ that this “tulip mania” was the ﬁrst historical instance of an asset
bubble, which occurs when investors drive prices to highs not supported by actual demand.
claiming
claim
having claimed
to claim
Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of ﬁnite and nonﬁnite verb forms within a sentence. A
main clause requires a ﬁnite verb to perform the action of the subject (in this case, “some historians”), and this choice
supplies the ﬁnite present tense verb “claim” to indicate what some historians do. 
Choice A is incorrect because the nonﬁnite participle “claiming” doesn’t supply the main clause with a ﬁnite verb. Choice C is
incorrect because the nonﬁnite participle “having claimed” doesn’t supply the main clause with a ﬁnite verb. Choice D is
incorrect because the nonﬁnite to-inﬁnitive “to claim” doesn’t supply the main clause with a ﬁnite verb.