What change needs to be made to sentence 3 to make it grammatically correct? 'The study concluded that, on average, areas containing more well-maintained greenery has lower crime rates than areas with less greenery.'

This option suggests altering the verb tense from past to present. However, the past tense "concluded" is appropriate here since the sentence discusses a conclusion drawn from the study, which is a completed action. Therefore, this change does not address the grammatical error present in the original sentence.

Modifying “containing” to “contained” would incorrectly change the meaning of the sentence. The original form indicates ongoing action regarding the areas, while “contained” would imply a past state that does not accurately reflect the intended comparison between areas of varying greenery.

This option suggests changing the plural "rates" to the singular "rate." While this change is grammatically correct, it alters the meaning of the comparison by implying a singular crime rate rather than acknowledging the multiple rates across different areas. Therefore, it does not address the grammatical issue in the original sentence.