This question tests your understanding of subjunctive mood in English grammar, particularly after certain verbs like "recommend," "suggest," "demand," etc. The subjunctive mood is used to express wishes, suggestions, demands, or hypothetical situations.

The structure for such sentences is:

Subject + Verb (like recommend, suggest, demand) + that + Subject + Base Form of Verb

Let's break down the given sentence: "The Government recommended that the housing problem ____________ speeded up."

Step 1: Identify the main verb. Here, the main verb is "recommended."

Step 2: The word "that" introduces the clause containing the recommendation.

Step 3: The subject of this clause is "the housing problem." The action being recommended is "be speeded up." "Speeded up" is a past participle, so it requires the verb "to be" in front of it to form the passive voice ("be speeded up" means "should be made faster").

Step 4: In the subjunctive mood, we use the base form of the verb "be," regardless of the subject. We do not use "would be," "might be," "is to be," or any other conjugated form.

Step 5: Therefore, the correct phrase to complete the sentence is "should be" or simply "be". Among the given options, "should be" is the only one that correctly follows the subjunctive structure and conveys the intended meaning of a strong recommendation. "Would be" and "might be" are too weak and uncertain, while "is to be" states a fact or plan, not a recommendation.

Final Answer: The Government recommended that the housing problem should be speeded up.

Related Topics & Formulae

Subjunctive Mood: Used after verbs like recommend, suggest, insist, demand, propose, request, and advise. The formula is always the same:

Verb + that + [subject] + base verb

Examples:

• I suggest that he study more. (Not "studies")
• She demanded that the manager be fired. (Not "is")
• They requested that the deadline be extended. (Not "is")

Passive Voice: The structure "be + past participle" (e.g., be speeded up, be fired, be extended) is often used in these subjunctive clauses.