Learn English – “proves” vs “is proved” vs “has been proved”

differencegrammar

The question from the test:

The atmosphere ___________ to extend several hundred kilometers above the Earth.
a. proves
b. has been proved
c. is proved

Sentences with the blank filled with each option can be found using Google in various materials for learning English, so maybe all of them are possible. However this answer https://ell.stackexchange.com/a/6513/10667 says:

The perfect version is used when you're talking about something proved in the past.

So I've chosen (b) and it was the wrong answer. What is the correct one?

Best Answer

Without any other context, (b) is the best option. "The atmosphere has been proved to extend several hundred kilometers above the Earth" does the best job of providing the necessary context within the sentence.

"The atmosphere proves to extend several hundred kilometers above the Earth" would sound better if it were preceded by a statement like "When measured using radio-scattering technology".

"The atmosphere is proved to extend several hundred kilometers above the Earth" would sound better if it were preceded by a statement like "In the work of Professor Braun".