Question ID e38b3e4f

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: e38b3e4f
The radiation that ______ during the decay of radioactive atomic nuclei is known as gamma radiation.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. occurs

B. have occurred

C. occur

D. are occurring

ID: e38b3e4f Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb "occurs" agrees in
number with the singular subject "radiation."

Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb "have occurred" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject
"radiation." Choice C is incorrect because the plural verb "occur" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject
"radiation." Choice D is incorrect because the plural verb "are occurring" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject
"radiation."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 37e5c794
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 37e5c794
Despite being cheap, versatile, and easy to produce, ______ they are made from nonrenewable petroleum, and most do
not biodegrade in landfills.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. there are two problems associated with commercial plastics:

B. two problems are associated with commercial plastics:

C. commercial plastics’ two associated problems are that

D. commercial plastics have two associated problems:

ID: 37e5c794 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-modifier placement. This choice ensures that the
modifying phrase “despite being cheap, versatile, and easy to produce” appears immediately before the noun it modifies,
“commercial plastics,” clearly establishing that the commercial plastics—and not another noun in the sentence—are being
described as cheap, versatile, and easy to produce.

Choice A is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the function word “there” immediately
after the modifying phrase illogically and confusingly suggests that “there” is cheap, versatile, and easy to produce.
Choice B is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun “two problems” immediately
after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that the “problems” are cheap, versatile, and easy to produce. Choice C is
incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase “commercial plastics’ two
associated problems” immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that the “problems” are cheap,
versatile, and easy to produce.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6f08641e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 6f08641e
On April 5, 1977, Kitty Cone and 150 other disability rights activists entered a San Francisco federal building. After
pleading for years—to no effect—for the passage of key antidiscrimination legislation, ______ until their demands were
addressed. Finally, on April 28, the legislation was signed.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. pressure on lawmakers increased when the activists staged a sit-in protest

B. a sit-in protest staged by the activists increased pressure on lawmakers

C. lawmakers came under increased pressure when the activists staged a sit-in protest

D. the activists increased pressure on lawmakers by staging a sit-in protest

ID: 6f08641e Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-modifier placement. This choice makes the noun
phrase “the activists” the subject of the sentence and places it immediately after the modifying phrase
“after...legislation.” In doing so, this choice clearly establishes that the activists—and not another noun in the sentence—
were pleading for the passage of antidiscrimination legislation.

Choice A is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase “pressure on
lawmakers” immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that the “pressure” was pleading for the passage
of antidiscrimination legislation. Choice B is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the
noun phrase “a sit-in protest” immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that the “protest” was pleading
for the passage of antidiscrimination legislation. Choice C is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The
placement of the noun phrase “lawmakers” immediately after the modifying phrase suggests that “lawmakers” were
pleading for the passage of antidiscrimination legislation. While it’s possible for lawmakers to plead for the passage of
legislation, the context strongly suggests that it’s the activists who pleaded for years for the passage of
antidiscrimination legislation.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 3580533b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 3580533b
In recent years, economists around the world have created new tools that quantify the overall well-being of a country’s
citizens. Economists in India, for example, use an Ease of Living Index. This tool ______ economic potential, sustainability,
and citizens’ quality of life.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. measures

B. had measured

C. would have measured

D. will have been measuring

ID: 3580533b Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The previous sentence tells us how economists in India "use" a certain tool, while this
sentence describes general facts about that tool. To express general facts (and also to match the simple present tense
of "use"), we should use the simple present tense form "measures."

Choice B is incorrect. This choice uses the past perfect tense, but the previous sentence tells us that the tool is currently
used to measure things, so the past tense doesn’t make sense for this verb. Choice C is incorrect. This choice uses the
future perfect conditional tense, but the previous sentence tells us that the tool is currently used to measure things, so
the future tense doesn’t make sense for this verb. Choice D is incorrect. This choice uses the future perfect continuous
tense, but the previous sentence tells us that the tool is currently used to measure things, so the future tense doesn’t
make sense for this verb.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 2c49940e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 2c49940e
French philosopher René Descartes doubted whether he could prove his own existence. Eventually, he found proof in his
famous phrase “I think, therefore I am.” The ______ complexity: only those who exist would be able to ponder their
existence.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. phrases’ simplicity masks its

B. phrases simplicity masks their

C. phrase’s simplicity masks their

D. phrase’s simplicity masks its

ID: 2c49940e Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The conventions being tested are the use of possessive nouns and the use of possessive
determiners. The singular possessive noun "phrase’s" correctly indicates that there is only one simple phrase. The
singular possessive determiner "its" agrees in number with the singular possessive noun "phrase’s," reinforcing the idea
that there is only one simple yet complex phrase.

Choice A is incorrect because the context requires the singular possessive noun "phrase’s," not the plural possessive
noun "phrases’." Choice B is incorrect because the context requires the singular possessive noun "phrase’s" and the
corresponding singular possessive determiner "its," not the plural noun "phrases" and the corresponding plural
possessive determiner "their." Choice C is incorrect because the context requires the singular possessive determiner "its,"
not the plural possessive determiner "their."

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID e62241b7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: e62241b7
What is the correct pronunciation of Kiribati? In the Gilbertese language spoken by residents of the island nation, the
letter combination -ti makes the -s sound; as a result, the country’s name ______ pronounced “Kiribas.”

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. are

B. have been

C. are being

D. is

ID: e62241b7 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb "is" agrees in
number with the singular subject "the country’s name."

Choice A is incorrect because the plural verb "are" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "the country’s name."
Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb "have been" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "the country’s
name." Choice C is incorrect because the plural verb "are being" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "the
country’s name."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID a2816c7f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: a2816c7f
American abstract artist Richard ______ his installations to make passersby keenly aware of how one’s movements are
affected by the physical features of one’s environment, assembles large-scale steel plates into sculptures that dominate
the outdoor spaces they occupy.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. Serra is intending

B. Serra, intends

C. Serra, intending

D. Serra intends

ID: a2816c7f Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verb forms within a sentence. This choice pairs
the comma after "Serra" with the comma after "environment" and uses the nonfinite present participle "intending" to
correctly form a supplementary phrase describing the reaction Serra intends his sculptures to provoke. This
supplementary phrase appears between the noun phrase that it modifies ("American abstract artist Richard Serra") and
the finite present tense verb ("assembles"), which functions as the sentence’s main verb and describes what Serra does.

Choice A is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The finite present continuous tense verb "is
intending" can’t be used in this way in conjunction with the finite present tense verb "assembles," which already functions
as the main verb in the sentence. Choice B is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The finite
present tense verb "intends" can’t be used in this way to supplement the noun phrase "American abstract artist Richard
Serra." Choice D is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The finite present tense verb "intends" can’t
be used in this way in conjunction with the finite present tense verb "assembles," which already functions as the main
verb in the sentence.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b7363ba2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: b7363ba2
Mathematician and meteorologist Edward Lorenz used the metaphor of the “butterfly effect” to explain how seemingly
minor events can have major impacts on future weather. According to Lorenz’s metaphor, the wind from a butterfly
flapping ______ in Brazil might eventually grow into a storm elsewhere across the globe.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. its wings

B. its wings’

C. it’s wing’s

D. it’s wings’

ID: b7363ba2 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The conventions being tested are the use of possessive determiners and plural nouns. The
singular possessive determiner "its" and the plural noun "wings" correctly indicate that the butterfly has multiple wings.

Choice B is incorrect because the context requires the plural noun "wings," not the plural possessive noun "wings’."
Choice C is incorrect because the context requires the singular possessive determiner "its" and the plural noun "wings,"
not the contraction "it’s" and the singular possessive noun "wing’s." Choice D is incorrect because the context requires the
singular possessive determiner "its" and the plural noun "wings," not the contraction "it’s" and the plural possessive noun
"wings’."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 908a76b8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 908a76b8
When a given industry—water and electricity are two well-known examples—carries high infrastructural start-up costs and
other barriers that discourage competition, ______ of just one or two suppliers per municipality. Such industries are
known as natural monopolies.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. these often consist

B. they often consist

C. it often consists

D. this often consists

ID: 908a76b8 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is pronoun-antecedent agreement. The singular pronoun "it"
agrees in number with the singular antecedent "industry" and clearly indicates that the industry consists of just one or
two suppliers per municipality.

Choice A is incorrect. The plural pronoun "these" neither agrees in number with the singular antecedent "industry" nor
clearly indicates that the industry—not another plural noun in the sentence, such as "start-up costs" or "barriers"—
consists of just one or two suppliers per municipality. Choice B is incorrect because the plural pronoun "they" doesn’t
agree in number with the singular antecedent "industry." Choice D is incorrect because the singular pronoun "this" is
ambiguous in this context; the resulting sentence leaves unclear what consists of just one or two suppliers per
municipality.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1ee7b429
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 1ee7b429
Bonnie Buratti of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory ______ data about Saturn’s rings collected by the Cassini spacecraft
when she made an interesting discovery: the tiny moons embedded between and within Saturn’s rings are shaped by the
buildup of ring material on the moons’ surfaces.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. studies

B. has been studying

C. will study

D. was studying

ID: 1ee7b429 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense in a sentence. In this
choice, the past progressive tense verb “was studying” is consistent with the other past tense verbs (e.g., “made” and
“collected”) used to describe Buratti’s discovery. Further, the past progressive tense correctly indicates that an ongoing
action in the past was occurring (she was studying) at the same time that another event occurred in the past (she made
an interesting discovery).

Choice A is incorrect because the present tense verb “studies” isn’t consistent with the past tense verbs used to describe
Buratti’s discovery. Choice B is incorrect because the present perfect progressive tense verb “has been studying” isn’t
consistent with the past tense verbs used to describe Buratti’s discovery. Choice C is incorrect because the future tense
verb “will study” isn’t consistent with the past tense verbs used to describe Buratti’s discovery.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 9df6da04
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 9df6da04
Entomologists Yash Sondhi and Samuel Fabian have tried to explain why moths fly erratically around light sources at
night. Knowing that flying insects keep their backs pointed toward sunlight during the day, ______

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

the researchers theorize that moths, mistaking nighttime lights for the Sun, continually try to reorient their bodies
A. while flying near such lights.

the researchers’ theory is that moths mistake nighttime lights for the Sun, continually trying to reorient their bodies
B. while flying near such lights.

moths mistake nighttime lights for the Sun and continually try to reorient their bodies while flying near such lights, the
C. researchers theorize.

moths continually try to reorient their bodies while flying near nighttime lights, the researchers theorize, mistaking
D. such lights for the Sun.

ID: 9df6da04 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-modifier placement. This choice makes the noun
phrase "the researchers" the subject of the sentence and places it immediately after the modifying phrase "knowing…
day." In doing so, this choice clearly establishes that the researchers—and not another noun in the sentence—know that
flying insects keep their backs pointed toward sunlight during the day.

Choice B is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase "the researchers’
theory" immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that the researchers’ theory knows that flying insects
keep their backs pointed toward sunlight during the day. Choice C is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier.
The placement of the noun "moths" immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that moths know that
flying insects keep their backs pointed toward sunlight during the day. Choice D is incorrect because it results in a
dangling modifier. The placement of the noun "moths" immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that
moths know that flying insects keep their backs pointed toward sunlight during the day.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ae439895
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: ae439895
In her 1983 book The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human Feeling, sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild first
explored at length her conception of a “sociology of emotions”—the idea that the various cultural and ideological
frameworks a person has internalized (class, gender, political affiliation, etc.) ______ each emotional reaction that person
has within a situation.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. underlies

B. is underlying

C. underlie

D. has been underlying

ID: ae439895 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The plural verb "underlie" agrees in
number with the plural subject "frameworks."

Choice A is incorrect because the singular verb "underlies" doesn’t agree in number with the plural subject "frameworks."
Choice B is incorrect because the singular verb "is underlying" doesn’t agree in number with the plural subject
"frameworks." Choice D is incorrect because the singular verb "has been underlying" doesn’t agree in number with the
plural subject "frameworks."

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 83617355
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 83617355
Each night in Gijón, Spain, a section of the city’s marina is bathed in a soft green glow. The source of the glow is the Árbol
de la Sidra, a large sculpture made up of 3,200 recycled glass bottles. A lamp inside the tree-shaped structure ______ the
green glass.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. will be illuminating

B. illuminates

C. would illuminate

D. illuminated

ID: 83617355 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense. In this choice, the present
tense verb "illuminates" is consistent with the other present tense verb ("is") used to describe the sculpture, correctly
indicating that the sculpture habitually glows ("each night") and that the lamp inside is the source of its illumination.

Choice A is incorrect because the future progressive tense verb "will be illuminating" isn’t consistent with the other
present tense verb used to describe the sculpture and the source of its glow. Choice C is incorrect because the modal
"would," which is used to indicate a typical behavior in the past, isn’t consistent with the other present tense verb used to
describe the sculpture and the source of its glow. Choice D is incorrect because the past tense verb "illuminated" isn’t
consistent with the other present tense verb used to describe the sculpture and the source of its glow.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID f0864217
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: f0864217
Rabinal Achí is a precolonial Maya dance drama performed annually in Rabinal, a town in the Guatemalan highlands.
Based on events that occurred when Rabinal was a city-state ruled by a king, ______ had once been an ally of the king but
was later captured while leading an invading force against him.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. Rabinal Achí tells the story of K’iche’ Achí, a military leader who

B. K’iche’ Achí, the military leader in the story of Rabinal Achí,

C. the military leader whose story is told in Rabinal Achí, K’iche’ Achí,

D. there was a military leader, K’iche’ Achí, who in Rabinal Achí

ID: f0864217 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The modifier “Based on events…by a king,” is describing the drama “Rabinal Achí.” Modifiers
need to be next to the subjects they describe, so “Rabinal Achí” needs to be the first word after the comma.

Choice B is incorrect. This doesn’t complete the text in a way that conforms to the conventions of Standard English. The
modifier “Based on events…by a king,” is describing the drama “Rabinal Achí.” Modifiers need to be next to the subjects
they describe, so “Rabinal Achí” needs to be the first word after the comma. Choice C is incorrect. This doesn’t complete
the text in a way that conforms to the conventions of Standard English. The modifier “Based on events…by a king,” is
describing the drama “Rabinal Achí.” Modifiers need to be next to the subjects they describe, so “Rabinal Achí” needs to
be the first word after the comma. Choice D is incorrect. This doesn’t complete the text in a way that conforms to the
conventions of Standard English. The modifier “Based on events…by a king,” is describing the drama “Rabinal Achí.”
Modifiers need to be next to the subjects they describe, so “Rabinal Achí” needs to be the first word after the comma.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c91ef0f0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: c91ef0f0
During the American Civil War, Thomas Morris Chester braved the front lines as a war correspondent for the Philadelphia
Press. Amplifying the voices and experiences of Black soldiers ______ of particular importance to Chester, who later
became an activist and lawyer during the postwar Reconstruction period.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. were

B. have been

C. are

D. was

ID: c91ef0f0 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb "was" agrees in
number with the singular subject "amplifying." Gerunds such as "amplifying" are always singular.

Choice A is incorrect because the plural verb "were" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "amplifying."
Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb "have been" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "amplifying."
Choice C is incorrect because the plural verb "are" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "amplifying."

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7b419faf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 7b419faf
In 1903, environmentalist John Muir guided President Theodore Roosevelt on a scenic, sprawling trip through California’s
Yosemite Valley. Upon returning from the three-day excursion, Roosevelt ______ to conserve the nation’s wilderness areas,
a vow he upheld for his remaining six years in office.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. is vowing

B. vowed

C. will vow

D. vows

ID: 7b419faf Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense in a sentence. In this
choice, the past tense verb “vowed” is consistent with the other past tense verbs (“guided” and “upheld”) used to narrate
the events surrounding President Roosevelt’s decision to conserve the nation’s wilderness areas.

Choice A is incorrect because the present progressive tense verb “is vowing” isn’t consistent with the past tense verbs
used to narrate the events surrounding President Roosevelt’s decision to conserve the nation’s wilderness areas. Choice
C is incorrect because the future tense verb “will vow” isn’t consistent with the past tense verbs used to narrate the
events surrounding President Roosevelt’s decision to conserve the nation’s wilderness areas. Choice D is incorrect
because the simple present tense verb “vows” isn’t consistent with the past tense verbs used to narrate the events
surrounding President Roosevelt’s decision to conserve the nation’s wilderness areas.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 29c9be28
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 29c9be28
To survive when water is scarce, embryos inside African turquoise killifish eggs ______ a dormant state known as
diapause. In this state, embryonic development is paused for as long as two years—longer than the life span of an adult
killifish.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. enter

B. to enter

C. having entered

D. entering

ID: 29c9be28 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is 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, “embryos”), and this choice supplies the
clause with the finite present tense verb “enter” to indicate how the embryos achieve diapause.

Choice B is incorrect because the nonfinite to-infinitive “to enter” doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb. Choice
C is incorrect because the nonfinite participle “having entered” doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb. Choice D
is incorrect because the nonfinite participle “entering” doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 983d33fa
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 983d33fa
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.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. claiming

B. claim

C. having claimed

D. to claim

ID: 983d33fa Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
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.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 6e193b19
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 6e193b19
Professional American football player Fred Cox invented one of the world’s most popular toys. In the 1970s, he came up
with the idea for the Nerf football, which ______ of the harder and heavier regulation football.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. were a smaller, foam version

B. are smaller, foam versions

C. were smaller, foam versions

D. is a smaller, foam version

ID: 6e193b19 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement and agreement between nouns. The
singular verb “is” and the singular noun “version” both agree in number with the relative pronoun “which.” In this context,
“which” functions as a singular subject because it refers to the singular noun “the Nerf football.”

Choice A is incorrect because the plural verb “were” doesn’t agree in number with the singular noun phrase “the Nerf
football” that it’s modifying. Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb “are” and the plural noun “versions” don’t agree
in number with the singular noun phrase “the Nerf football” that they’re modifying. Choice C is incorrect because the
plural verb “were” and the plural noun “versions” don’t agree in number with the singular noun phrase “the Nerf football”
that they’re modifying.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID e6f2dba6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: e6f2dba6
According to the traditional RYB (red-yellow-blue) color model, yellow is a complementary color to purple. However,
yellow ______ considered complementary to blue in modern color theory.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. is

B. having been

C. to be

D. being

ID: e6f2dba6 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verb forms within a sentence. A main clause
requires a finite (tensed) verb to perform the action of the subject (in this case, "yellow"), and this choice supplies the
present tense verb "is considered" to indicate that yellow is considered a complementary color to blue in modern color
theory.

Choice B is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The nonfinite participle "having been considered"
doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb. Choice C is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence.
The nonfinite to-infinitive "to be considered" doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb. Choice D is incorrect
because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The nonfinite participle "being considered" doesn’t supply the main
clause with a finite verb.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 52b61716
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 52b61716
Formed in 1967 to foster political and economic stability within the Asia-Pacific region, the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations was originally made up of five members: Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. By
the end of the 1990s, the organization ______ its initial membership.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. has doubled

B. had doubled

C. doubles

D. will double

ID: 52b61716 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense. In this choice, the past
perfect verb “had doubled” properly indicates that the doubling of the organization’s initial membership occurred during a
specific period before the present (between the organization’s founding in 1967 and the end of the 1990s).

Choice A is incorrect because the present perfect verb “has doubled” doesn’t indicate that the organization’s doubling of
its initial membership occurred during a specific period in the past. Choice C is incorrect because the present tense verb
“doubles” doesn’t indicate that the organization’s doubling of its initial membership occurred during a specific period in
the past. Choice D is incorrect because the future tense verb “will double” doesn’t indicate that the organization’s
doubling of its initial membership occurred during a specific period in the past.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 96c720af
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 96c720af
Atoms in a synchrotron, a type of circular particle accelerator, travel faster and faster until they ______ a desired energy
level, at which point they are diverted to collide with a target, smashing the atoms.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. will reach

B. reach

C. had reached

D. are reaching

ID: 96c720af Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense in a sentence. In this
choice, the present tense verb “reach” is consistent with the present tense verbs “travel” and “are diverted” used to
describe how atoms move through the synchrotron.

Choice A is incorrect because the future tense verb “will reach” is inconsistent with the present tense verbs used to
describe how atoms move through the synchrotron. Though the atoms’ movement is a recurring action and “will reach”
can also be used to indicate a habitual or recurring action, it creates a logical inconsistency in this sentence when paired
with the present tense verbs “travel” and “are diverted.” Choice C is incorrect because the past perfect tense verb “had
reached” is inconsistent with the present tense verbs used to describe how atoms move through the synchrotron. Choice
D is incorrect because the present progressive tense verb “are reaching” is inconsistent with the present tense verbs
used to describe how atoms move through the synchrotron. While both verbs occur in the present, the present
progressive tense suggests that the action is currently in progress. This creates a logical inconsistency when paired with
the present tense verbs “travel” and “are diverted,” which offer a general description of the tendencies of the atoms’
movement, rather than a description of an action that is currently in progress.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID dbd78791
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: dbd78791
Led by Syrian American astronomer Shadia Habbal, the Solar Wind Sherpas are an intrepid team of scientists who travel
the globe to study solar winds, the streams of particles emanating from the Sun that are only visible from certain
locations during a total solar eclipse. When such an eclipse is imminent, the Sherpas pack up their telescopes and ______
ready.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. get

B. had gotten

C. got

D. were getting

ID: dbd78791 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense in a sentence. In this
choice, the present tense verb “get” is consistent with the other present tense verbs (“are,” “travel,” and “pack”) used to
describe the Sherpas and their activities.

Choice B is incorrect. The past perfect verb “had gotten” isn’t consistent with the other present tense verbs used to
describe the Sherpas and their activities. Choice C is incorrect. The past tense verb “got” isn’t consistent with the other
present tense verbs used to describe the Sherpas and their activities. Choice D is incorrect. The past progressive verb
“were getting” isn’t consistent with the other present tense verbs used to describe the Sherpas and their activities.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 100269ad
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 100269ad
Zydeco music originated in the French Creole community of southwest Louisiana. One instrument that gives zydeco its
unique sound is the vest frottoir. The vest frottoir ______ a wearable washboard that is played by rubbing spoons or bottle
openers against it.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. have been

B. is

C. were

D. are

ID: 100269ad Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb "is" agrees in
number with the singular subject "vest frottoir."

Choice A is incorrect because the plural verb "have been" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "vest frottoir."
Choice C is incorrect because the plural verb "were" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "vest frottoir."
Choice D is incorrect because the plural verb "are" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "vest frottoir."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 0aebdf5f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 0aebdf5f
According to linguist Martin Joos, speakers of the English language ______ five main registers—frozen, formal,
consultative, casual, and intimate—which they rotate between depending on the situation.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. use

B. is using

C. uses

D. has used

ID: 0aebdf5f Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The plural verb "use" agrees in
number with the plural subject "speakers."

Choice B is incorrect because the singular verb "is using" doesn’t agree in number with the plural subject "speakers."
Choice C is incorrect because the singular verb "uses" doesn’t agree in number with the plural subject "speakers." Choice
D is incorrect because the singular verb "has used" doesn’t agree in number with the plural subject "speakers."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 4aa28ac3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 4aa28ac3
Nowadays, tug-of-war is usually seen as an informal game one might play at a picnic or in gym class. Surprisingly, the
Olympic committee once decided ______ tug-of-war as an official Olympic event! Nations competed in the event at the
Olympic Games from 1900 to 1920.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. included

B. including

C. include

D. to include

ID: 4aa28ac3 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verb forms within a sentence. The nonfinite to-
infinitive verb "to include" is correctly used to form a subordinate clause that indicates what the Olympic committee
decided (to include tug-of-war as an Olympic event).

Choice A is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The finite verb "included" can’t be used in this way
to form a subordinate clause that indicates what the Olympic committee decided. Choice B is incorrect because it results
in an ungrammatical sentence. The nonfinite participle "including" can’t be used in this way to form a subordinate clause
that indicates what the Olympic committee decided. Choice C is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical
sentence. The finite verb "include" can’t be used in this way to form a subordinate clause that indicates what the Olympic
committee decided.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 8df848c1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 8df848c1
When they were first introduced to western Europe from Byzantium in the eleventh century, table forks were met with
much resistance. The Bishop of Ostia, St. Peter Damian, condemned the eating utensils because he considered ______
dangerous and unnecessary luxury items.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. them

B. this

C. that

D. it

ID: 8df848c1 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is pronoun-antecedent agreement. The plural pronoun "them"
agrees in number with the plural antecedent "utensils."

Choice B is incorrect because the singular pronoun "this" doesn’t agree in number with the plural antecedent "utensils."
Choice C is incorrect because the singular pronoun "that" doesn’t agree in number with the plural antecedent "utensils."
Choice D is incorrect because the singular pronoun "it" doesn’t agree in number with the plural antecedent "utensils."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 77bf77cd
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 77bf77cd
Farouk El-Baz, a geologist and space scientist, ______ part of the team that selected the lunar landing sites for the Apollo
program during the 1960s and 1970s.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. are

B. was

C. have been

D. were

ID: 77bf77cd Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb "was" agrees in
number with the singular subject "Farouk El-Baz."

Choice A is incorrect because the plural verb "are" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "Farouk El-Baz."
Choice C is incorrect because the plural verb "have been" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "Farouk El-
Baz." Choice D is incorrect because the plural verb "were" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "Farouk El-
Baz."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 1f8cd95f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 1f8cd95f
In the 1950s, a man named Joseph McVicker was struggling to keep his business afloat when his sister-in-law Kay Zufall
advised him to repurpose the company’s product, a nontoxic, clay-like substance for removing soot from wallpaper, as a
modeling putty for kids. In addition, Zufall ______ selling the product under a child-friendly name: Play-Doh.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. suggested

B. suggests

C. had suggested

D. was suggesting

ID: 1f8cd95f Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense. In this choice, the simple
past tense verb “suggested” properly indicates that Zufall offered her suggestion for the product’s name in the past. This
verb tense is consistent with the previous sentence’s use of a simple past tense verb (“advised”) to describe Zufall’s
advice to McVicker in the 1950s.

Choice B is incorrect because the present tense verb “suggests” doesn’t indicate that Zufall offered her suggestion in the
past. Choice C is incorrect because the past perfect verb “had suggested” isn’t consistent with the previous sentence’s
use of the simple past tense verb “advised” to describe Zufall’s advice to McVicker. Choice D is incorrect because the
past progressive verb “was suggesting” isn’t consistent with the previous sentence’s use of the simple past tense verb
“advised” to describe Zufall’s advice to McVicker.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 3bceeb93
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 3bceeb93
When they were first discovered in Australia in 1798, duck-billed, beaver-tailed platypuses so defied categorization that
one scientist assigned them the name Ornithorhynchus paradoxus: “paradoxical bird-snout.” The animal, which lays eggs
but also nurses ______ young with milk, has since been classified as belonging to the monotremes group.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. they’re

B. their

C. its

D. it’s

ID: 3bceeb93 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The singular possessive pronoun "its" agrees with the singular antecedent "the animal" and
indicates that the "young" belong to it.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice creates a pronoun-antecedent agreement error. "They’re" is a contraction of "they are," a
plural pronoun and verb, but the antecedent "the animal" is singular. Also, we don’t need the extra verb "are" — we already
have a main verb in this clause, so adding "are" would be confusing and ungrammatical. Choice B is incorrect. This
choice creates a pronoun-antecedent agreement error. "Their" is a plural pronoun, but the subject of the sentence is "the
animal," a singular noun. Choice D is incorrect. This choice creates a confusing and ungrammatical sentence. "It’s" is a
contraction for "it is." We already have the verb "nurses" in this clause, so we shouldn’t add the verb "is."

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1684b237
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 1684b237
One of the few African American global explorers during the turn of the 20th century, ______

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. Matthew Henson made several treks across Greenland between 1891 and 1909.

B. 1891 and 1909 were the years between which Matthew Henson made several treks across Greenland.

C. Greenland was where Matthew Henson made several treks between 1891 and 1909.

D. several treks across Greenland were made by Matthew Henson between 1891 and 1909.

ID: 1684b237 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-modifier placement. This choice makes the proper
noun "Matthew Henson" the subject of the sentence and places it immediately after the modifying phrase "one…century."
In doing so, this choice clearly establishes that Matthew Henson—and not another noun in the sentence—is being
described as one of the few African American global explorers during the turn of the 20th century.

Choice B is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase "1891 and 1909"
immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that those years were one of the few African American global
explorers during the turn of the 20th century. Choice C is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The
placement of the proper noun "Greenland" immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that Greenland
was one of the few African American global explorers during the turn of the 20th century. Choice D is incorrect because it
results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase "several treks across Greenland" immediately after the
modifying phrase illogically suggests that the treks were one of the few African American global explorers during the turn
of the 20th century.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 430d929a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 430d929a
British scientists James Watson and Francis Crick won the Nobel Prize in part for their 1953 paper announcing the
double helix structure of DNA, but it is misleading to say that Watson and Crick discovered the double helix. ______
findings were based on a famous X-ray image of DNA fibers, “Photo 51,” developed by X-ray crystallographer Rosalind
Franklin and her graduate student Raymond Gosling.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. They’re

B. It’s

C. Their

D. Its

ID: 430d929a Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of possessive determiners. The plural possessive
determiner “their” agrees in number with the plural conjoined noun phrase “Watson and Crick” and thus indicates that the
findings were those of Watson and Crick.

Choice A is incorrect because “they’re” is the contraction for “they are,” not a possessive determiner. Choice B is incorrect
because “it’s” is the contraction for “it is” or “it has,” not a possessive determiner. Choice D is incorrect because the
singular possessive determiner “its” doesn’t agree in number with the plural conjoined noun phrase “Watson and Crick.”

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 843f92af
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 843f92af
The sun never sets during the Arctic summer in the Far North. In response, reindeer in this region must change their sleep
habits. Instead of resting when it gets dark, they rest when they need ______ their food.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. digest

B. will digest

C. to digest

D. digesting

ID: 843f92af Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of nonfinite verb forms within a sentence. Working
together with the finite verb "need," the nonfinite to-infinitive verb "to digest" is correctly used to form a subordinate
clause that describes what the reindeer need.

Choice A is incorrect because the verb "digest" (in either its finite or nonfinite form) can’t be used in this way with the
finite verb "need." Choice B is incorrect because the finite verb "will digest" can’t be used in this way with the finite verb
"need." Choice D is incorrect because the nonfinite participle "digesting" can’t be used in this way with the finite verb
"need."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 69f031ab
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 69f031ab
While exploring Nevada’s Gypsum Cave in 1930, Seneca and Abenaki archaeologist Bertha Parker made her most
famous discovery: the skull of a now-extinct ground sloth (Nothrotheriops shastensis) alongside human-made tools.
Parker’s crucial finding was the first ______ humans in North America as far back as 10,000 years ago.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. places

B. placed

C. place

D. to place

ID: 69f031ab Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The object for the verb "was" is "first," and "to place" is acting as a modifier for "first." What
was the finding? It was "the first." The first to do what? The first "to place humans in North America" 10,000 years ago.
When a verb serves as a modifier within a noun phrase, it must be nonfinite (i.e., not conjugated to a specific subject).
The infinitive form "to place" is the only nonfinite option among the choices that makes sense in context.

Choice A is incorrect. The object for the verb "was" is "first," and "places" is acting as a modifier for "first." What was the
thing that Parker’s finding did? What was it the first to do? Place humans in North America 10,000 years ago. When a verb
acts as a modifier, it must be nonfinite (i.e., not conjugated to a specific subject), but "places" is a finite form of the verb.
Choice B is incorrect. The object for the verb "was" is "first," and "placed" is acting to modify "first." What was it that
Parker’s finding was the first to do? Place humans in North America 10,000 years ago. When a verb acts as a modifier, it
must be nonfinite (i.e., not conjugated to a specific subject), but "placed" is a finite form. "Placed" can also be a past
participle, but that wouldn’t make sense here because the meaning of "the first placed humans" would be unclear. Choice
C is incorrect. The object for the verb "was" is "first," and "place" is modifying "first." What was the thing that Parker’s
finding did? What was it the first to do? Place humans in North America. When a verb acts as a modifier, it must be
nonfinite (i.e., not conjugated to a specific subject), but "place" is a finite form of the verb. Additionally, "place" can’t serve
as a noun here, because it results in an illogical sentence (the "finding" wasn’t "the first place").

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 3a35ddd1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 3a35ddd1
Like other amphibians, the wood frog (Rana sylvatica) is unable to generate its own heat, so during periods of
subfreezing temperatures, it ______ by producing large amounts of glucose, a sugar that helps prevent damaging ice from
forming inside its cells.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. had survived

B. survived

C. would survive

D. survives

ID: 3a35ddd1 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense. In this choice, the present
tense verb “survives” correctly indicates that the wood frog regularly survives subfreezing temperatures by producing
large amounts of glucose.

Choice A is incorrect because the past perfect verb “had survived” doesn’t indicate that the wood frog regularly survives
subfreezing temperatures by producing large amounts of glucose. Choice B is incorrect because the past tense verb
“survived” doesn’t indicate that the wood frog regularly survives subfreezing temperatures by producing large amounts of
glucose. Choice C is incorrect because the conditional verb “would survive” doesn’t indicate that the wood frog regularly
survives subfreezing temperatures by producing large amounts of glucose.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 1a61e2ae
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 1a61e2ae
English poet and Shakespeare contemporary John Donne’s ______ much admired during his lifetime (1572–1631) and in
the decades that followed, had, at the time of their enthusiastic rediscovery by the early twentieth-century modernists,
been essentially gathering dust for the intervening 250 years.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. works were

B. works, were

C. works,

D. works had been

ID: 1a61e2ae Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of punctuation and verb forms within a sentence.
This choice leaves the verb "admired" in its nonfinite past participle form to function within a supplementary element
("much…followed"). Offset by commas after "works" and "followed," this supplementary element interrupts the main
clause ("English poet and Shakespeare contemporary John Donne’s works…had…been essentially gathering dust…") with
additional information about the works’ reception during Donne’s lifetime.

Choice A is incorrect because it fails to offset the supplementary element ("much…followed") with appropriate
punctuation, and using the finite verb "were much admired" results in an ungrammatical sentence. Choice B is incorrect
because using the finite verb "were much admired" results in an ungrammatical sentence. Choice D is incorrect because
it fails to offset the supplementary element ("much…followed") with appropriate punctuation, and using the finite verb
"had been much admired" results in an ungrammatical sentence.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b74f676f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: b74f676f
Classical composer Florence Price’s 1927 move to Chicago marked a turning point in her career. It was there that Price
premiered her First Symphony—a piece that was praised for blending traditional Romantic motifs with aspects of Black
folk music—and ______ supportive relationships with other Black artists.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. developing

B. developed

C. to develop

D. having developed

ID: b74f676f Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The missing verb is part of the same clause as the verb "premiered," and "Price" is the
subject of both. So we need the past-tense form "developed" in order to match "premiered."

Choice A is incorrect. This choice creates a verb form error. The missing verb is part of the same clause as the verb
"premiered," and "Price" is the subject of both. So we need the past-tense form "developed" in order to match "premiered."
Choice C is incorrect. This choice creates a verb form error. The missing verb is part of the same clause as the verb
"premiered," and "Price" is the subject of both. So we need the past-tense form "developed" in order to match "premiered."
Choice D is incorrect. This choice creates a verb form error. The missing verb is part of the same clause as the verb
"premiered," and "Price" is the subject of both. So we need the past-tense form "developed" in order to match "premiered."

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 56315bd0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 56315bd0
Solarpunk is an art movement that imagines renewable energy–powered technology infused complementarily into
nature. In Paolo Bacigalupi’s solarpunk short story “Efficiency,” an artificial intelligence that absorbs sustainable energies,
redistributing them through intricate networks of weights and generators, ______ Chicago’s energy grid.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. have been powering

B. power

C. powers

D. are powering

ID: 56315bd0 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb "powers" agrees in
number with the singular subject "an artificial intelligence."

Choice A is incorrect because the plural verb "have been powering" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "an
artificial intelligence." Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb "power" doesn’t agree in number with the singular
subject "an artificial intelligence." Choice D is incorrect because the plural verb "are powering" doesn’t agree in number
with the singular subject "an artificial intelligence."

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID d2b81427
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: d2b81427
In assessing the films of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, ______ have missed his equally deep engagement with
Japanese artistic traditions such as Noh theater.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. many critics have focused on Kurosawa’s use of Western literary sources but

B. Kurosawa’s use of Western literary sources has been the focus of many critics, who

C. there are many critics who have focused on Kurosawa’s use of Western literary sources, but they

D. the focus of many critics has been on Kurosawa’s use of Western literary sources; they

ID: d2b81427 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-modifier placement. This choice makes the noun
phrase “many critics” the subject of the sentence and places it immediately after the modifying phrase “in assessing…
Kurosawa.” In doing so, this choice clearly establishes that it is the critics—and not another noun in the sentence—who
assess Kurosawa’s films.

Choice B is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase “Kurosawa’s…sources”
immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that his use of Western literary sources is what assesses
Kurosawa’s films. Choice C is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the function word
“there” immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that “there” is what assesses Kurosawa’s films.
Choice D is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase “the focus…critics”
immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that the critics’ focus is what assesses Kurosawa’s films.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e3b72630
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: e3b72630
In the historical novel The Surrender Tree, Cuban American author Margarita Engle uses poetry rather than prose ______
the true story of Cuban folk hero Rosa La Bayamesa.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. tells

B. told

C. is telling

D. to tell

ID: e3b72630 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of finite and nonfinite verb forms within a sentence.
The nonfinite to-infinitive “to tell” is correctly used to form a nonfinite (infinitive) clause that explains the reason Engle
uses poetry in her novel.

Choice A is incorrect because the finite present tense verb “tells” can’t be used in this way to explain the reason that
Engle uses poetry in her novel. Choice B is incorrect because the finite past tense verb “told” can’t be used in this way to
explain the reason that Engle uses poetry in her novel. Choice C is incorrect because the finite present progressive tense
verb “is telling” can’t be used in this way to explain the reason that Engle uses poetry in her novel.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID d47bb0a4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: d47bb0a4
Objects ranging from the Kikkoman soy sauce bottle to the Yamaha VMAX motorcycle to the Komachi bullet train ______
designed by twentieth-century industrial designer Kenji Ekuan.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. was

B. is

C. has been

D. were

ID: d47bb0a4 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The plural verb "were" agrees in
number with the plural subject "objects."

Choice A is incorrect because the singular verb "was" doesn’t agree in number with the plural subject "objects." Choice B
is incorrect because the singular verb "is" doesn’t agree in number with the plural subject "objects." Choice C is incorrect
because the singular verb "has been" doesn’t agree in number with the plural subject "objects."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 512f0ac9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 512f0ac9
Working from an earlier discovery of Charpentier’s, chemists Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna—winners of
the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry—re-created and then reprogrammed the so-called “genetic scissors” of a species of
DNA-cleaving bacteria ______ a tool that is revolutionizing the field of gene technology.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. to forge

B. forging

C. forged

D. and forging

ID: 512f0ac9 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of finite and nonfinite verb forms within a sentence.
The nonfinite to-infinitive “to forge” is correctly used to form a nonfinite (infinitive) clause that explains why the chemists
re-created and reprogrammed the DNA-cleaving bacteria.

Choice B is incorrect. Without a comma separating the main clause (“chemists...bacteria”) from the participle “forging,”
this choice illogically suggests that the bacteria are forging a tool, which doesn’t make sense. Choice C is incorrect.
Without a coordinating conjunction such as “and” placed before it, the finite past tense verb “forged” can’t be used in this
way to describe the chemists’ actions. Choice D is incorrect. If read as a finite verb, the present progressive verb “forging”
isn’t consistent with the past tense verbs used in this sentence to describe the actions of the chemists. If read as a
nonfinite verb, the participle “forging” can’t be used in this way because there is no following main clause for it to
modify.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 20ea68b7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 20ea68b7
It can take time for proposed amendments to the US Constitution to become law. For example, the Twenty-Second
Amendment, which limits the number of ______ can serve, was first proposed in 1947 but wasn’t approved by the required
three-fourths majority of state legislatures until 1951.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. terms presidents

B. term’s presidents

C. term’s president’s

D. terms president’s

ID: 20ea68b7 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of plural nouns. The plural nouns "terms" and
"presidents" correctly indicate that the amendment involves multiple terms and applies to presidents in general.

Choice B is incorrect because the context requires the plural noun "terms," not the singular possessive noun "term’s."
Choice C is incorrect because the context requires the plural nouns "terms" and "presidents," not the singular possessive
nouns "term’s" and "president’s." Choice D is incorrect because the context requires the plural noun "presidents," not the
singular possessive noun "president’s."

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID db4e3819
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: db4e3819
Midway through her 1968 jazz album A Monastic Trio, Alice Coltrane switches instruments, swapping the piano for the
harp. With the same fluid style that Coltrane was famous for on piano, she ______ her fingers across the harp strings and
creates a radiant sound.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. sweep

B. are sweeping

C. were sweeping

D. sweeps

ID: db4e3819 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb "sweeps" agrees
in number with the singular subject "she," which refers to Alice Coltrane.

Choice A is incorrect because the plural verb "sweep" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "she." Choice B is
incorrect because the plural verb "are sweeping" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "she." Choice C is
incorrect because the plural verb "were sweeping" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "she."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 9eb43963
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 9eb43963
Water in the North Atlantic Ocean is pushed eastward by powerful winds, but the rotation of Earth and interference from
nearby landmasses together cause ______ to swirl into a massive, churning whirlpool—also called the North Atlantic Gyre
—that spins clockwise.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. these

B. those

C. them

D. it

ID: 9eb43963 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is pronoun-antecedent agreement. The singular pronoun "it"
agrees in number with the singular antecedent "water" and clearly indicates that the water swirls into a whirlpool.

Choice A is incorrect. The plural pronoun "these" neither agrees in number with the singular antecedent "water" nor
clearly indicates that the water—not another plural noun in the sentence, such as "landmasses" or "winds"—swirls into a
whirlpool. Choice B is incorrect. The plural pronoun "those" neither agrees in number with the singular antecedent "water"
nor clearly indicates that the water—not another plural noun in the sentence, such as "landmasses" or "winds"—swirls into
a whirlpool. Choice C is incorrect. The plural pronoun "them" neither agrees in number with the singular antecedent
"water" nor clearly indicates that the water—not another plural noun in the sentence, such as "landmasses" or "winds"—
swirls into a whirlpool.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID eeb14722
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: eeb14722
The soundtrack to Mira Nair’s 1991 film Mississippi Masala expressively captures the clashing of cultures that happens
when ______ (a young Indian woman from Uganda and a young African American man from Mississippi) meet. Featured
throughout the film are songs from Uganda’s Afrigo Band, the Indian composer L. Subramaniam, and the Mississippi
blues musician Sam Chatmon.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. it’s two protagonists

B. its two protagonist’s

C. it’s two protagonist’s

D. its two protagonists

ID: eeb14722 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The conventions being tested are the use of possessive determiners and the use of plural
nouns. The singular possessive determiner "its"—which agrees in number with the singular noun phrase "Mira Nair’s 1991
film Mississippi Masala"—and the plural noun "protagonists" correctly indicate that Nair’s film has multiple protagonists.

Choice A is incorrect because "it’s" is the contraction for "it is," not a possessive determiner. Choice B is incorrect
because the context requires the plural noun "protagonists," not the singular possessive noun "protagonist’s." Choice C is
incorrect because the context requires the possessive determiner "its" and the plural noun "protagonists," not the
contraction "it’s" or the singular possessive noun "protagonist’s."

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 35ae047d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 35ae047d
In 1929, Edwin Herbert Land invented a polarizing filter that was featured in a number of products, from sunglasses to 3D
movies. A decade later, Land ______ his technology to invent the world’s first instant camera, the Polaroid Land camera.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. used

B. to have used

C. to use

D. using

ID: 35ae047d Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verb forms within a sentence. A main clause
requires a finite (tensed) verb to perform the action of the subject (in this case, Land), and this choice supplies the finite
past tense verb "used" to indicate what Land did with the technology he had invented.

Choice B is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The nonfinite perfect infinitive "to have used"
doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb. Choice C is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence.
The nonfinite to-infinitive "to use" doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb. Choice D is incorrect because it
results in an ungrammatical sentence. The nonfinite participle "using" doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 166efaa2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 166efaa2
Public-awareness campaigns about the need to reduce single-use plastics can be successful, says researcher Kim Borg
of Monash University in Australia, when these campaigns give consumers a choice: for example, Japan achieved a 40
percent reduction in plastic-bag use after cashiers were instructed to ask customers whether ______ wanted a bag.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. they

B. one

C. you

D. it

ID: 166efaa2 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is pronoun–antecedent agreement. The plural pronoun “they”
agrees in number with the plural antecedent “customers.”

Choice B is incorrect because the singular pronoun “one” doesn’t agree in number with the plural antecedent “customers.”
Choice C is incorrect because the second person pronoun “you” isn’t conventional as a substitute for “customers.” It
suggests that the audience (“you”) is the customer. Choice D is incorrect because the singular pronoun “it” doesn’t agree
in number with the plural antecedent “customers.”

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID dc645172
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: dc645172
The artistic talents of Barbara Chase-Riboud, most known for her 1979 historical novel Sally Hemings and the
conversation it inspired, ______ limited to the realm of prose: she first excelled in sculpture, where her affinity for bronze—
a material she described as “timeless” due to its use across eras and cultures—became part of her artistic identity.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. hasn’t been

B. wasn’t

C. isn’t

D. aren’t

ID: dc645172 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The subject "talents" is plural, and so is the verb "aren’t": "the artistic talents…aren’t limited."

Choice A is incorrect. The subject "talents" is plural, but the verb "hasn’t been" is singular. Choice B is incorrect. The
subject "talents" is plural, but the verb "wasn’t" is singular. Choice C is incorrect. The subject "talents" is plural, but the
verb "isn’t" is singular.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 57998dd3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 57998dd3
Obsidian is a kind of volcanic glass formed when lava cools so quickly that the atoms inside it cannot arrange
themselves in a crystalline structure. You ______ more about obsidian’s structure, which is classified as amorphous, in a
later chapter.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. had learned

B. had been learning

C. will learn

D. have learned

ID: 57998dd3 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense in a sentence. In this
choice, the future tense verb “will learn,” used in conjunction with the phrase “in a later chapter,” correctly indicates that
“you” (the reader) are going to learn about obsidian’s structure at some point in the future.

Choice A is incorrect because the past perfect verb “had learned” doesn’t indicate that the subject is going to learn about
obsidian’s structure in the future. Choice B is incorrect because the past perfect progressive verb “had been learning”
doesn’t indicate that the subject is going to learn about obsidian’s structure in the future. Choice D is incorrect because
the present perfect verb “have learned” doesn’t indicate that the subject is going to learn about obsidian’s structure in the
future.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID ea0aa676
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: ea0aa676
In the 1970s, Janaki Ammal, a prominent botanist, emerged as a powerful voice in India’s environmental conservation
movement. Her exhaustive chromosomal survey of plants in Silent Valley, a pristine tropical forest in Kerala, India, that is
home to nearly 1,000 species of native flora (many of which are endangered), ______ instrumental in the government’s
decision to preserve the forest.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. are

B. were

C. have been

D. was

ID: ea0aa676 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The subject "survey" is singular, and so is the verb "was."

Choice A is incorrect. The subject "survey" is singular, but the verb "are" is plural. Choice B is incorrect. The subject
"survey" is singular, but the verb "were" is plural. Choice C is incorrect. The subject "survey" is singular, but the verb "have
been" is plural.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f0f9bf8f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: f0f9bf8f
Félix González-Torres debuted his sculpture “Untitled” (USA Today) in New York City in 1990. The work consists of piled
candy, a material González-Torres became known for. ______ created additional installations using a variety of sweets,
like bubblegum, lollipops, and chocolates.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. They all

B. Those

C. Both

D. He

ID: f0f9bf8f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is pronoun-antecedent agreement. The singular pronoun "he"
agrees in number with the singular antecedent "Félix González-Torres," and it clearly indicates that González-Torres
created the additional installations.

Choice A is incorrect because the plural noun phrase "they all" doesn’t agree in number with the singular antecedent
"Félix González-Torres," and it doesn’t clearly indicate that he (González-Torres) created the additional installations.
Choice B is incorrect because the plural pronoun "those" doesn’t agree in number with the singular antecedent "Félix
González-Torres," and it doesn’t clearly indicate that he (González-Torres) created the additional installations. Choice C is
incorrect because the plural pronoun "both" doesn’t agree in number with the singular antecedent "Félix González-Torres,"
and it doesn’t clearly indicate that he (González-Torres) created the additional installations.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 35360da9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 35360da9
The US Geological Survey wants to map every human-made structure in the United States, and it is asking volunteers to
help. Cassie Tammy Wang and Ashish D’Souza are just two of the many volunteer map editors who ______ to the project
since it began in 2012.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. contribute

B. will contribute

C. have contributed

D. will be contributing

ID: 35360da9 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense in a sentence. In this
choice, the present perfect tense verb “have contributed,” used in conjunction with the phrase “since it began in 2012,”
correctly indicates that map editors have contributed in the past and continue to do so in the present.

Choice A is incorrect because the present tense verb “contribute” is inconsistent with the phrase “since it began in 2012,”
which suggests that the contributions occurred in the past and continue into the present. Choice B is incorrect because
the future tense verb “will contribute” is inconsistent with the phrase “since it began in 2012,” which suggests that the
contributions occurred in the past and continue into the present. Choice D is incorrect because the future tense verb “will
be contributing” is inconsistent with the phrase “since it began in 2012,” which suggests that the contributions occurred
in the past and continue into the present.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID dd6a0326
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: dd6a0326
African American Percy Julian was a scientist and entrepreneur whose work helped people around the world to see.
Named in 1999 as one of the greatest achievements by a US chemist in the past hundred years, ______ led to the first
mass-produced treatment for glaucoma.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. Julian synthesized the alkaloid physostigmine in 1935; it

B. in 1935 Julian synthesized the alkaloid physostigmine, which

C. Julian’s 1935 synthesis of the alkaloid physostigmine

D. the alkaloid physostigmine was synthesized by Julian in 1935 and

ID: dd6a0326 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-modifier placement. This choice makes the noun
phrase “Julian’s 1935 synthesis” the subject of the sentence and places it immediately after the modifying phrase
“named…years.” In doing so, this choice clearly establishes that Julian’s 1935 synthesis of the alkaloid physostigmine—
and not another noun in the sentence—was named in 1999 as one of the greatest achievements by a US chemist in the
past hundred years.

Choice A is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun “Julian” immediately after the
modifying phrase illogically suggests that Julian himself was named as one of the greatest achievements by a US
chemist in the past hundred years. Choice B is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the
prepositional phrase “in 1935” immediately after the modifying phrase illogically and confusingly suggests that “in 1935”
was named as one of the greatest achievements by a US chemist in the past hundred years. Choice D is incorrect
because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase “the alkaloid physostigmine” immediately
after the modifying phrase illogically and confusingly suggests that the alkaloid physostigmine itself (not the synthesis of
it) was named as one of the greatest achievements by a US chemist in the past hundred years.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID d4f173ec
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: d4f173ec
To illustrate Albert Einstein’s special theory of relativity, picture two jugglers: one juggling on a steadily moving parade
float, the other juggling while standing still on a sidewalk. The laws of physics are identical for both ______ motion relative
to each other. But what, Einstein wondered, about the speed of light?

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. jugglers’, regardless of they’re

B. jugglers, regardless of there

C. juggler’s, regardless of their

D. jugglers, regardless of their

ID: d4f173ec Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of plural nouns and possessive determiners. The
plural noun "jugglers" and the plural possessive determiner "their" correctly indicate that there are multiple jugglers
whose motion is being discussed.

Choice A is incorrect because the context requires the plural noun "jugglers" and the plural possessive determiner "their,"
not the plural possessive noun "jugglers’" and the contraction "they’re." Choice B is incorrect because the context requires
the plural possessive determiner "their," not the word "there," which means "in that place." Choice C is incorrect because
the context requires the plural noun "jugglers," not the singular possessive noun "juggler’s."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 97b62fab
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 97b62fab
Smaller than poppy seeds, tardigrades are tiny, but they are tough. These minuscule animals can survive for thirty years
without food or water, and ______ can withstand extreme temperatures as low as minus 328 degrees and as high as 304
degrees Fahrenheit.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. that

B. it

C. they

D. he

ID: 97b62fab Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is pronoun-antecedent agreement. The plural pronoun "they"
agrees in number with the plural antecedent "animals," which refers to tardigrades.

Choice A is incorrect because the singular pronoun "that" doesn’t agree in number with the plural antecedent "animals."
Choice B is incorrect because the singular pronoun "it" doesn’t agree in number with the plural antecedent "animals."
Choice D is incorrect because the singular pronoun "he" doesn’t agree in number with the plural antecedent "animals."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID c437dd53
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: c437dd53
Wanting to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Alaska Purchase, ______ up with a motto that best captured the state’s
unique character. The commission selected “North to the Future,” submitted by Juneau journalist Richard Peter, as its
winning entry.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. a contest sponsored by the Alaska Centennial Commission would award $300 to an individual who came

B. an award of $300 would go to an individual in a contest sponsored by the Alaska Centennial Commission for coming

C. $300 would be awarded to an individual by the Alaska Centennial Commission in a contest for coming

D. the Alaska Centennial Commission sponsored a contest that would award $300 to an individual who came

ID: c437dd53 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-modifier placement. This choice makes the noun
phrase "the Alaska Centennial Commission" the subject of the sentence and places it immediately after the modifying
phrase "wanting…Purchase." In doing so, this choice clearly establishes that the Alaska Centennial Commission—and not
another noun in the sentence—wanted to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Alaska Purchase.

Choice A is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase "a contest" immediately
after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that the contest wanted to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Alaska
Purchase. Choice B is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase "an award of
$300" immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that the award of $300 wanted to celebrate the 100th
anniversary of the Alaska Purchase. Choice C is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the
noun phrase "$300" immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that the $300 wanted to celebrate the
100th anniversary of the Alaska Purchase.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID b369d54c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: b369d54c
Woven from recycled yarn and hand tufted using a carpet weaving technique passed down by the artist’s Turkish
grandmother, ______ so lush and tactilely inviting that you are tempted to reach out and touch them.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. the topological tapestries of Argentine textile artist Alexandra Kehayoglou are

B. the Argentine textile artist Alexandra Kehayoglou creates topological tapestries that are

C. when she creates her topological tapestries, Argentine textile artist Alexandra Kehayoglou makes them

D. Alexandra Kehayoglou is an Argentine textile artist whose topological tapestries are

ID: b369d54c Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-modifier placement. This choice makes the noun
phrase "topological tapestries" the subject of the sentence and places it immediately after the modifying phrase "woven…
grandmother." In doing so, this choice clearly establishes that the topological tapestries—and not another noun in the
sentence—are being described as woven from recycled yarn and hand tufted.

Choice B is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase "Argentine textile artist
Alexandra Kehayoglou" immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that Kehayoglou is woven from
recycled yarn and hand tufted. Choice C is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the
pronoun "she" and the noun phrase "Argentine textile artist Alexandra Kehayoglou" after the modifying phrase illogically
suggests that Kehayoglou is woven from recycled yarn and hand tufted. Choice D is incorrect because it results in a
dangling modifier. The placement of the noun "Alexandra Kehayoglou" immediately after the modifying phrase illogically
suggests that Kehayoglou is woven from recycled yarn and hand tufted.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 0fe5ce68
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 0fe5ce68
Ten of William Shakespeare’s plays are classified as histories. Although each one of these plays, which include Henry V
and Richard III, ______ on a single historical figure (specifically, an English king), some, such as Henry VI Part One and
Henry VI Part Two, feature different episodes from the same monarch’s life.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. focuses

B. focus

C. are focused

D. were focused

ID: 0fe5ce68 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb "focuses" agrees
in number with the singular subject "each one of these plays," which refers to each play individually.

Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb "focus" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "each one of these
plays." Choice C is incorrect because the plural verb "are focused" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "each
one of these plays." Choice D is incorrect because the plural verb "were focused" doesn’t agree in number with the
singular subject "each one of these plays."

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4f2ff5f2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 4f2ff5f2
Tortoises can be found in many works of literature. For example, in Tom Stoppard’s 1993 play Arcadia, there is a tortoise
that ______ by two names (Plautus and Lightning) and appears in both of the play’s parallel timelines. As a character, the
tortoise symbolizes the connection between the past and present.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. goes

B. will have gone

C. went

D. had gone

ID: 4f2ff5f2 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense in a sentence. In this
choice, the present tense verb "goes" is consistent with the other present tense verbs ("appears" and "symbolizes") used
to describe the tortoise in Stoppard’s play. Furthermore, it’s conventional to use the present tense when discussing a
literary work.

Choice B is incorrect because the future perfect tense verb "will have gone" isn’t consistent with the other present tense
verbs used to describe the tortoise in Stoppard’s play. Choice C is incorrect because the past tense verb "went" isn’t
consistent with the other present tense verbs used to describe the tortoise in Stoppard’s play. Choice D is incorrect
because the past perfect tense verb "had gone" isn’t consistent with the other present tense verbs used to describe the
tortoise in Stoppard’s play.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 856b495d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 856b495d
In the early twentieth century, Joseph Kekuku and other Hawaiian ______ in the mainland United States to the bright and
lilting sound of the kīkā kila, or Hawaiian steel guitar. The instrument soon became a fixture in American blues and
country music.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. musicians introduced audiences

B. musicians’ introduced audiences’

C. musician’s introduced audience’s

D. musicians’ introduced audiences

ID: 856b495d Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of plural nouns. The plural nouns "musicians" and
"audiences" correctly indicate that there were multiple musicians introducing the music to multiple audiences.

Choice B is incorrect because the context requires the plural nouns "musicians" and "audiences," not the plural
possessive nouns "musicians’" and "audiences’." Choice C is incorrect because the context requires the plural nouns
"musicians" and "audiences," not the singular possessive nouns "musician’s" and "audience’s." Choice D is incorrect
because the context requires the plural noun "musicians," not the plural possessive noun "musicians’."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID a75d5984
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: a75d5984
Several advantages—the ability to react strongly with chip components, to avoid interference from other waves, and to be
confined within tiny circuits—______ acoustic waves as a promising alternative to electrical waves for transmitting data
on computer chips; as a result, researchers are invested in developing more acoustic wave–based chips.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. have positioned

B. positioning

C. by positioning

D. having positioned

ID: a75d5984 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verb forms within a sentence. A main clause
requires a finite (tensed) verb to perform the action of the subject. In this case, the subject is "several advantages," and
the present perfect tense verb "have positioned" supplies the finite verb to indicate what has made acoustic waves a
promising alternative to electrical waves.

Choice B is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The nonfinite participle "positioning" doesn’t
supply the main clause with a finite verb. Choice C is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The
prepositional phrase "by positioning" doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb. Choice D is incorrect because it
results in an ungrammatical sentence. The nonfinite participle "having positioned" doesn’t supply the main clause with a
finite verb.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 59209b6d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 59209b6d
Based on genetic evidence, archaeologists have generally agreed that reindeer domestication began in the eleventh
century CE. However, since uncovering fragments of a 2,000-year-old reindeer training harness in northern Siberia, ______
may have begun much earlier.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. researcher Robert Losey has argued that domestication

B. researcher Robert Losey’s argument is that domestication

C. domestication, researcher Robert Losey has argued,

D. the argument researcher Robert Losey has made is that domestication

ID: 59209b6d Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-modifier placement. This choice makes the noun
phrase “researcher Robert Losey” the subject of the sentence and places it immediately after the modifying phrase
“since…Siberia.” In doing so, this choice clearly establishes that researcher Robert Losey—and not another noun in the
sentence—is who uncovered fragments of a 2,000-year-old reindeer training harness in northern Siberia.

Choice B is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase “researcher Robert
Losey’s argument” immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that the “argument” is what uncovered
fragments of a 2,000-year-old reindeer training harness in northern Siberia. Choice C is incorrect because it results in a
dangling modifier. The placement of the noun “domestication” immediately after the modifying phrase illogically
suggests that “domestication” is what uncovered fragments of a 2,000-year-old reindeer training harness in northern
Siberia. Choice D is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase “the argument”
immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that the “argument” is what uncovered fragments of a 2,000-
year-old reindeer training harness in northern Siberia.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 15d6d837
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 15d6d837
Literary agents estimate that more than half of all nonfiction books credited to a celebrity or other public figure are in fact
written by ghostwriters, professional authors who are paid to write other ______ but whose names never appear on book
covers.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. people’s stories

B. peoples story’s

C. peoples stories

D. people’s story’s

ID: 15d6d837 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of plural and possessive nouns. The plural
possessive noun “people’s” and the plural noun “stories” correctly indicate that there are multiple stories from multiple
people.

Choice B is incorrect because the context requires the plural possessive noun “people’s” and the plural noun “stories,” not
the plural noun “peoples” and the singular possessive noun “story’s.” Choice C is incorrect because the context requires
the plural possessive noun “people’s,” not the plural noun “peoples.” Choice D is incorrect because the context requires
the plural noun “stories,” not the singular possessive noun “story’s.”

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 2ee50d41
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 2ee50d41
The classic children’s board game Chutes and Ladders is a version of an ancient Nepalese game, Paramapada
Sopanapata. In both games, players encounter “good” or “bad” spaces while traveling along a path; landing on one of the
good spaces ______ a player to skip ahead and arrive closer to the end goal.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. allows

B. are allowing

C. have allowed

D. allow

ID: 2ee50d41 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject–verb agreement. The singular verb “allows” agrees
in number with the singular subject “landing.”

Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb “are allowing” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “landing.”
Choice C is incorrect because the plural verb “have allowed” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “landing.”
Choice D is incorrect because the plural verb “allow” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “landing.”

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 7f1df833
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 7f1df833
In 1966, Emmett Ashford became the first African American to umpire a Major League Baseball game. His energetic
gestures announcing when a player had struck out and his habit of barreling after a hit ball to see if it would land out of
______ transform the traditionally solemn umpire role into a dynamic one.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. bounds helped

B. bounds, helping

C. bounds that helped

D. bounds to help

ID: 7f1df833 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is finite verb use in a main clause. A main clause requires a
finite verb to perform the action of the subject (in this case, Ashford’s “gestures” and “habit”), and this choice supplies the
finite past tense verb “helped” to indicate what Ashford’s gestures and habit helped accomplish.

Choice B is incorrect because the non-finite participle “helping” doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb. Choice
C is incorrect because the relative clause “that helped” doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb. Choice D is
incorrect because the non-finite to-infinitive “to help” doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID e8926747
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: e8926747
Eighteen letters written by Louisa May Alcott, author of the popular novel Little Women (1868), can be found at the New
York Historical Society. ______ letters demonstrate Alcott’s keen business sense in her interactions with publishers.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. One

B. That

C. This

D. These

ID: e8926747 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of determiners in a sentence. The plural determiner
"these" agrees in number with the plural noun "letters" that it modifies. This choice clearly indicates that the letters
demonstrate Alcott’s business sense.

Choice A is incorrect because the singular determiner "one" doesn’t agree in number with the plural noun "letters." Choice
B is incorrect because the singular determiner "that" doesn’t agree in number with the plural noun "letters." Choice C is
incorrect because the singular determiner "this" doesn’t agree in number with the plural noun "letters."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID f4fd123c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: f4fd123c
The African Games Co-production Market, one of over 180 annual international conferences supporting video game
development, ______ the growth of the African gaming industry by helping start-up studios in Africa find partners.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. promote

B. are promoting

C. promotes

D. have promoted

ID: f4fd123c Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The subject of the sentence is “The African Games Co-production Market.” That’s one
market, so it’s a singular noun, which means it needs a singular verb. “Promotes” is the only singular verb among the
choices.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice creates a subject-verb agreement error. The subject “The African Games Co-production
Market” is singular, but the verb “promote” is plural. Choice B is incorrect. This choice creates a subject-verb agreement
error. The subject “The African Games Co-production Market” is singular, but the verb “are promoting” is plural. Choice D
is incorrect. This choice creates a subject-verb agreement error. The subject “The African Games Co-production Market”
is singular, but the verb “have promoted” is plural.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID acf454af
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: acf454af
An online content creator who uses copyrighted songs without permission risks being demonetized (prohibited from
including paid advertisements in content). The best way to avoid demonetization is to choose music from the public
domain. Using one of these noncopyrighted songs ______ a creator won’t lose advertising revenue.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. are ensuring

B. have ensured

C. ensure

D. ensures

ID: acf454af Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb "ensures" agrees
in number with the singular subject "using."

Choice A is incorrect because the plural verb "are ensuring" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "using."
Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb "have ensured" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "using."
Choice C is incorrect because the plural verb "ensure" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "using."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 4bed4658
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 4bed4658
In order to prevent nonnative fish species from moving freely between the Mediterranean and Red Seas, marine biologist
Bella Galil has proposed that a saline lock system be installed along the Suez Canal in Egypt’s Great Bitter Lakes. The
lock would increase the salinity of the lakes and ______ a natural barrier of water most marine creatures would be unable
to cross.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. creates

B. create

C. creating

D. created

ID: 4bed4658 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of non-finite (untensed) verb forms in a sentence.
The modal “would,” which indicates the future from a perspective in the past, should be accompanied by a non-finite plain
form verb. In this choice, the non-finite plain form verb “create” is used correctly in conjunction with the non-finite plain
form verb “increase” to describe what the lock would do.

Choice A is incorrect because the finite present tense verb “creates” can’t be used in this way with the modal “would” to
describe what the lock would do. Choice C is incorrect because the present participle “creating” can’t be used in this way
with the modal “would” to describe what the lock would do. Choice D is incorrect because the finite past tense verb
“created” can’t be used in this way with the modal “would” to describe what the lock would do.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID dab8b8ee
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: dab8b8ee
Known as Earth’s “living skin,” biocrusts are thin layers of soil held together by surface-dwelling microorganisms such as
fungi, lichens, and cyanobacteria. Fortifying soil in arid ecosystems against erosion, ______

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. a recent study’s estimate is that these crusts reduce global dust emissions by 60 percent each year.

an estimated 60 percent reduction in global dust emissions each year is due to these crusts, according to a recent
B. study.

C. these crusts reduce global dust emissions by an estimated 60 percent each year, according to a recent study.

D. a recent study has estimated that these crusts reduce global dust emissions by 60 percent each year.

ID: dab8b8ee Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The subject of the modifier "fortifying soil in arid ecosystems against erosion" is "biocrusts."
Subject-modifier placement requires a modifier and its subject to be next to each other, so "biocrusts" or some variant
meaning "biocrusts" (in this case, "these crusts") must begin the missing clause.

Choice A is incorrect. Modifiers and their subjects must go next to each other. The subject of the modifier "fortifying soil
in arid ecosystems against erosion" is "biocrusts," not "a recent study’s estimate." Choice B is incorrect. Modifiers and
their subjects must go next to each other. The subject of the modifier "fortifying soil in arid ecosystems against erosion"
is "biocrusts," not "an estimated 60 percent reduction." Choice D is incorrect. Modifiers and their subjects must go next to
each other. The subject of the modifier "fortifying soil in arid ecosystems against erosion" is "biocrusts," not "a recent
study."

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7c48a6dd
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 7c48a6dd
In the late 1960s, inspired in part by the sight of laundry hanging on a clothesline, African American abstract painter Sam
Gilliam began to create his iconic “Drape” paintings. He applied bold, saturated hues to large canvases and ______ them
from ceilings or walls, causing the drooping fabric to cascade in dramatic loops and curves.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. to have suspended

B. suspending

C. to suspend

D. suspended

ID: 7c48a6dd Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The past tense of "suspended" matches the past tense of "applied," which has the same
subject ("he") and takes place in the same context: "He applied…and [he] suspended."

Choice A is incorrect. The perfect infinitive "to have suspended" doesn’t match the past tense of "applied," and it can’t
serve as a verb on its own. These are both verbs with the same subject and in the same context, so there’s no need to
shift tenses. Choice B is incorrect. The present participle "suspending" doesn’t match the past tense of "applied," and it
can’t serve as a verb on its own. These are both verbs with the same subject and in the same context, so there’s no need
to shift tenses. Choice C is incorrect. The infinitive "to suspend" doesn’t match the past tense of "applied," and it can’t
serve as a verb on its own. These are both verbs with the same subject and in the same context, so there’s no need to
shift tenses.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 6e5bf3a8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 6e5bf3a8
Even though bats prefer very sweet nectar, the plants that attract them have evolved to produce nectar that is only
moderately sweet. A recent study ______ why: making sugar is energy-intensive, and it is more advantageous for plants to
make a large amount of low-sugar nectar than a small amount of high-sugar nectar.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. explains

B. explaining

C. having explained

D. to explain

ID: 6e5bf3a8 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A 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, “a recent study”), and this choice
supplies the finite present tense verb “explains” to indicate that the study explains why plants that attract bats have
evolved to produce moderately sweet nectar.

Choice B is incorrect because the nonfinite participle “explaining” doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite
verb. Choice C is incorrect because the nonfinite participle “having explained” doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite
verb. Choice D is incorrect because the nonfinite to-infinitive “to explain” doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 898f182c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 898f182c
Richard Spikes was a prolific African American inventor known for his contributions to automotive engineering. Between
1907 and 1946, he patented many inventions, ______ an automobile turn signal, a safety brake, and—most famously—the
first automatic gearshift.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. included

B. includes

C. including

D. will include

ID: 898f182c Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of nonfinite verb forms within a sentence. The
nonfinite present participle "including" is correctly used to form a participial phrase that supplements the main clause "he
patented many inventions," listing several of Spikes’s patented inventions.

Choice A is incorrect because the finite past tense verb "included" can’t be used in this way to supplement the main
clause "he patented many inventions." Choice B is incorrect because the finite present tense verb "includes" can’t be used
in this way to supplement the main clause "he patented many inventions." Choice D is incorrect because the finite future
tense verb "will include" can’t be used in this way to supplement the main clause "he patented many inventions."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 36944347
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 36944347
Official measurements of the Mississippi River’s length vary: according to the US Geologic Survey, the river is 2,300 miles
long, whereas the Environmental Protection Agency records its length as 2,320 miles. This disparity can be explained in
part by the fact that rivers such as the Mississippi expand and contract as ______ sediment.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. they accumulate

B. one accumulates

C. it accumulates

D. we accumulate

ID: 36944347 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The noun that goes with "expand and contract" is "rivers," a plural noun. "They" is a third-
person plural pronoun, so it can correctly stand in for "rivers."

Choice B is incorrect. This choice creates a pronoun-antecedent agreement error. "One" is a singular pronoun, but the
noun that goes with "expand and contract" is "rivers," a plural noun. Choice C is incorrect. This choice creates a pronoun-
antecedent agreement error. "It" is a singular pronoun, but the noun that goes with "expand and contract" is "rivers," a
plural noun. Choice D is incorrect. This choice creates a pronoun-antecedent agreement error. The noun that goes with
"expand and contract" is the plural noun "rivers." Rivers are not people, so "we" can’t be used to stand in for it.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 188f7e3c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 188f7e3c
In 2016, engineer Vanessa Galvez oversaw the installation of 164 bioswales, vegetated channels designed to absorb and
divert stormwater, along the streets of Queens, New York. By reducing the runoff flowing into city sewers, ______

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

the mitigation of both street flooding and the resulting pollution of nearby waterways has been achieved by
A. bioswales.

B. the bioswales have mitigated both street flooding and the resulting pollution of nearby waterways.

C. the bioswales’ mitigation of both street flooding and the resulting pollution of nearby waterways has been achieved.

D. both street flooding and the resulting pollution of nearby waterways have been mitigated by bioswales.

ID: 188f7e3c Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-modifier placement. This choice makes the noun
phrase “the bioswales” the subject of the sentence and places it immediately after the modifying phrase “By reducing…
sewers.” In doing so, this choice clearly establishes that the bioswales—and not another noun in the sentence—are
reducing runoff flowing into city sewers.

Choice A is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase “the mitigation…
waterways” immediately after the modifying phrase results in unclear modification. The resulting sentence makes it hard
to determine what is responsible for “reducing the runoff”: the bioswales or some other noun in the sentence. Choice C is
incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase “the bioswales’ mitigation…
waterways” immediately after the modifying phrase results in unclear modification. The resulting sentence makes it hard
to determine what is responsible for “reducing the runoff”: the bioswales or some other noun in the sentence. Choice D is
incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase “street flooding and the resulting
pollution” immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that the “flooding and pollution” are reducing runoff
flowing into city sewers.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c52652c9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: c52652c9
The human brain is primed to recognize faces—so much so that, due to a perceptual tendency called pareidolia, ______
will even find faces in clouds, wooden doors, pieces of fruit, and other faceless inanimate objects. Researcher Susan
Magsamen has focused her work on better understanding this everyday phenomenon.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. she

B. they

C. it

D. those

ID: c52652c9 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. "It" is a singular pronoun used to stand in for objects. Since the antecedent in this case is
the singular noun phrase "the human brain," "it" is a perfect pronoun to use here.

Choice A is incorrect. Although "she" is a singular pronoun, it is reserved for people and animals, not objects like "the
human brain." Choice B is incorrect. "They" is a plural pronoun, but we need a singular pronoun to represent the
antecedent "the human brain." Choice D is incorrect. "Those" is a plural pronoun, but we need a singular pronoun to
represent the antecedent "the human brain."

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 9f737b2a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 9f737b2a
In Death Valley National Park’s Racetrack Playa, a flat, dry lakebed, are 162 rocks—some weighing less than a pound but
others almost 700 pounds—that move periodically from place to place, seemingly of their own volition. Racetrack-like
trails in the ______ mysterious migration.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. playas sediment mark the rock’s

B. playa’s sediment mark the rocks

C. playa’s sediment mark the rocks’

D. playas’ sediment mark the rocks’

ID: 9f737b2a Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of plural and possessive nouns. The singular
possessive noun “playa’s” and the plural possessive noun “rocks’” correctly indicate that the sediment is that of one playa
(the Racetrack Playa) and that there are multiple rocks that have mysteriously migrated across the sediment.

Choice A is incorrect because the context requires the singular possessive noun “playa’s” and the plural possessive noun
“rocks’,” not the plural noun “playas” and the singular possessive noun “rock’s.” Choice B is incorrect because the context
requires the plural possessive noun “rocks’,” not the plural noun “rocks.” Choice D is incorrect because the context
requires the singular possessive noun “playa’s,” not the plural possessive noun “playas’.”

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID b260c65a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: b260c65a
Earth is not a perfect sphere. Due to the ______ gravitational pull, Earth bulges out on the sides closest to and farthest
from the Moon. This distorting pull is known as a tidal force, and it is responsible for the changes in water levels that are
called high and low tides.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. Moon’s

B. Moons

C. Moons’

D. Moon

ID: b260c65a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of possessive nouns. The singular possessive noun
"Moon’s" correctly indicates that there is only one Moon, and it has a gravitational pull.

Choice B is incorrect because the context requires the singular possessive noun "Moon’s," not the plural noun "Moons."
Choice C is incorrect because the context requires the singular possessive noun "Moon’s," not the plural possessive noun
"Moons’." Choice D is incorrect because the context requires the singular possessive noun "Moon’s," not the singular noun
"Moon."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 0ff8477b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 0ff8477b
Food and the sensation of taste are central to Monique Truong’s novels. In The Book of Salt, for example, the exiled
character of Bình connects to his native Saigon through the food he prepares, while in Bitter in the Mouth, the character
of Linda ______ a form of synesthesia whereby the words she hears evoke tastes.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. experienced

B. had experienced

C. experiences

D. will be experiencing

ID: 0ff8477b Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense. In this choice, the present
tense verb “experiences” is consistent with the other present tense verbs (e.g., “connects” and “prepares”) used to
describe the events in Truong’s novels. Furthermore, it’s conventional to use the present tense when discussing a literary
work.

Choice A is incorrect because the past tense verb “experienced” isn’t consistent with the other present tense verbs used
to describe the events in Truong’s novels. Choice B is incorrect because the past perfect tense verb “had experienced”
isn’t consistent with the other present tense verbs used to describe the events in Truong’s novels. Choice D is incorrect
because the future progressive tense verb “will be experiencing” isn’t consistent with the other present tense verbs used
to describe the events in Truong’s novels.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 2dd1b8bf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 2dd1b8bf
Compared to that of alumina glass, ______ silica glass atoms are so far apart that they are unable to re-form bonds after
being separated.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. silica glass is at a significant disadvantage due to its more dispersed atomic arrangement:

B. silica glass has a more dispersed atomic arrangement, resulting in a significant disadvantage:

C. a significant disadvantage of silica glass is that its atomic arrangement is more dispersed:

D. silica glass’s atomic arrangement is more dispersed, resulting in a significant disadvantage:

ID: 2dd1b8bf Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-modifier placement. This choice makes “silica
glass’s atomic arrangement” the subject of the sentence and places it immediately after the modifying phrase “compared
to that of alumina glass.” In doing so, this choice clearly establishes that silica glass’s atomic arrangement—and not
another noun in the sentence—is being compared to the atomic arrangement (“that”) of alumina glass.

Choice A is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase “silica glass”
immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that silica glass itself (rather than its atomic arrangement) is
being compared to alumina glass’s atomic arrangement. Choice B is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier.
The placement of the noun phrase “silica glass” immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that silica
glass itself (rather than its atomic arrangement) is being compared to alumina glass’s atomic arrangement. Choice C is
incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase “a significant disadvantage”
immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that “a significant disadvantage” is being compared to
alumina glass’s atomic arrangement.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ecba68b5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: ecba68b5
Mathematician Grigori Perelman, sometimes in conjunction with mathematicians Richard S. Hamilton and Shing-Tung
Yau, ______ credited with proving the Poincaré conjecture. Having built on Hamilton’s previous work to solve the proof,
Perelman has insisted that Hamilton receive credit. Yau later found and closed gaps in Perelman’s proof, persuading
some mathematicians that he deserves credit as well.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. are

B. have been

C. are being

D. is

ID: ecba68b5 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb "is credited"
agrees in number with the singular subject "mathematician Grigori Perelman."

Choice A is incorrect because the plural verb "are credited" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject
"mathematician Grigori Perelman." Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb "have been credited" doesn’t agree in
number with the singular subject "mathematician Grigori Perelman." Choice C is incorrect because the plural verb "are
being credited" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "mathematician Grigori Perelman."

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c102f9b0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: c102f9b0
Lê Lương Minh became the thirteenth secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in
January 2013, making ______ the first time the organization would appoint a Vietnamese leader.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. these

B. those

C. this

D. some

ID: c102f9b0 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is pronoun-antecedent agreement. The singular pronoun "this"
agrees in number with the singular antecedent "Lê Lương Minh became the thirteenth secretary-general of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in January 2013." The pronoun "this" is referring back to the singular
event described earlier in the sentence in which Minh became secretary-general of ASEAN.

Choice A is incorrect because the plural pronoun "these" doesn’t agree in number with the singular antecedent "Lê Lương
Minh became the thirteenth secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in January 2013."
Choice B is incorrect because the plural pronoun "those" doesn’t agree in number with the singular antecedent "Lê Lương
Minh became the thirteenth secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in January 2013."
Choice D is incorrect because the indefinite pronoun "some" is ambiguous in this context; the resulting sentence leaves
unclear what marks the first time the organization appointed a Vietnamese leader.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID de3dd17d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: de3dd17d
Planetary scientist Briony Horgan and her colleagues have determined that as much as 25 percent of the sand on Mars is
composed of impact spherules. These spherical bits of glass form when asteroids collide with the planet, ejecting bits of
molten rock into the atmosphere that, after cooling and solidifying into glass, ______ back onto Mars’s surface.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. to rain

B. raining

C. having rained

D. rain

ID: de3dd17d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. "That…[rain] back onto Mars’s surface" is a relative clause that describes the "bits of molten
rock." Forming the clause requires a conjugated, finite verb, and this is the only choice that provides that.

Choice A is incorrect. "To rain" is an infinitive and can’t serve as the main verb of a clause. A conjugated verb is needed
here to form the main verb of the relative clause "that…[rain] back onto Mars’s surface," which describes the "bits of
molten rock." Choice B is incorrect. "Raining" is a present participle and, on its own, can’t serve as the main verb of a
clause. A conjugated verb is needed here to form the main verb of the relative clause "that…[rain] back onto Mars’s
surface," which describes the "bits of molten rock." Choice C is incorrect. "Having rained" is a perfect participle and can’t
serve as the main verb of a clause. A conjugated verb is needed here to form the main verb of the relative clause "that…
[rain] back onto Mars’s surface," which describes the "bits of molten rock."

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 50445680
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 50445680
In winter, the diets of Japanese macaques, also known as snow monkeys, are influenced more by food availability than
by food preference. Although the monkeys prefer to eat vegetation and land-dwelling invertebrates, those food sources
may become unavailable because of extensive snow and ice cover, ______ the monkeys to hunt for marine animals in any
streams that have not frozen over.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. forces

B. to force

C. forcing

D. forced

ID: 50445680 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of finite and nonfinite verb forms within a sentence.
The nonfinite present participle “forcing” is correctly used to form a participial phrase that supplements the main clause
“those...cover,” describing the effects on monkeys of the lack of food sources.

Choice A is incorrect because the finite present tense verb “forces” can’t be used in this way to supplement the main
clause (“those...cover”). Choice B is incorrect. While the nonfinite to-infinitive “to force” could be used to form a
subordinate clause that supplements the main clause (“those...cover”), to-infinitives conventionally express purpose, and
nothing in the sentence suggests that the food sources become unavailable for the purpose of forcing monkeys to hunt
marine animals. Choice D is incorrect because the finite past tense verb “forced” can’t be used in this way to supplement
the main clause (“those...cover”).

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID b5b74c3f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: b5b74c3f
When writing The Other Black Girl (2021), novelist Zakiya Dalila Harris drew on her own experiences working at a
publishing office. The award-winning book is Harris’s first novel, but her writing ______ honored before. At the age of
twelve, she entered a contest to have a story published in American Girl magazine—and won.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. were

B. have been

C. has been

D. are

ID: b5b74c3f Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb “has been” agrees
in number with the singular subject “writing.”

Choice A is incorrect because the plural verb “were” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “writing.” Choice B
is incorrect because the plural verb “have been” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “writing.” Choice D is
incorrect because the plural verb “are” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “writing.”

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 5b8f9cf2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 5b8f9cf2
In the canon of North African literature, Moroccan author Driss Chraïbi’s 1954 novel The Simple Past (Le Passé simple)
looms large. A coming-of-age story, a social meditation, and a sober gaze into the dark maw of French colonialism,
______ interrogates systemic power with memorable intensity.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. Morocco gained its independence two years before the publication of Chraïbi’s debut novel, which

B. Chraïbi’s debut novel, published two years before Morocco gained its independence,

C. Chraïbi wrote a debut novel that, published two years before Morocco gained its independence,

D. published two years before Morocco gained its independence, Chraïbi wrote a debut novel that

ID: 5b8f9cf2 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. Subject-modifier placement requires a modifier and its subject to be next to each other. The
subject of the modifier "a coming-of-age story…colonialism" is Chraïbi’s novel The Simple Past, so the subject "Chraïbi’s
debut novel" fits perfectly after this introductory modifying phrase.

Choice A is incorrect. Modifiers and their subjects must go next to each other. The introductory modifier "a coming-of-age
story…colonialism" is describing Chraïbi’s novel, not Morocco. However, this choice places Morocco directly next to that
modifier. Choice C is incorrect. Modifiers and their subjects must go next to each other. The introductory modifier "a
coming-of-age story…colonialism" all describes Chraïbi’s novel, not Chraïbi himself. However, this choice places Chraïbi
directly next to that modifier. Choice D is incorrect. Modifiers and their subjects must go next to each other. The modifier
"a coming-of-age story…" is describing Chraïbi’s novel, so that needs to be the subject immediately after the modifier. This
choice adds another modifier that describes Chraïbi’s novel, but then puts "Chraïbi" himself—not the novel—right after
that modifier, which doesn’t make sense. Chraïbi wasn’t "published two years before" Moroccan independence; his novel
The Simple Past was.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 775f3eb9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 775f3eb9
In his groundbreaking book Bengali Harlem and the Lost Histories of South Asian America, Vivek Bald uses newspaper
articles, census records, ships’ logs, and memoirs to tell the ______ who made New York City their home in the early
twentieth century.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. story’s of the South Asian immigrants

B. story’s of the South Asian immigrants’

C. stories of the South Asian immigrants

D. stories’ of the South Asian immigrant’s

ID: 775f3eb9 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of plural and possessive nouns. The plural nouns
“stories” and “immigrants” correctly indicate that the memoir tells multiple stories of multiple immigrants.

Choice A is incorrect because the context requires the plural noun “stories,” not the singular possessive noun “story’s.”
Choice B is incorrect because the context requires the plural nouns “stories” and “immigrants,” not the singular
possessive noun “story’s” and the plural possessive noun “immigrants’.” Choice D is incorrect because the context
requires the plural nouns “stories” and “immigrants,” not the plural possessive noun “stories’” and the singular possessive
noun “immigrant’s.”

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID f768090a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: f768090a
Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass first appeared in 1855 as a slim collection of twelve poems, but Whitman would revise
and expand it substantially over the next four decades. These extensive ______ the addition of hundreds of new poems,
the removal of some existing ones, and the insertion of prefatory material, reflected the poet’s evolving literary
perspective and experience of the US Civil War.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. changes, including

B. changes would include

C. changes included

D. changes, include

ID: f768090a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verb forms within a sentence. The nonfinite
present participle "including" is correctly used to form a supplementary element that interrupts the main clause "These
extensive changes…reflected the poet’s evolving literary perspective and experience of the US Civil War." This
supplementary element, offset by commas after "changes" and "material," provides examples of the changes Whitman
made to Leaves of Grass.

Choice B is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The finite modal verb "would include" can’t be
used in this way to form a supplementary element within the main clause. Choice C is incorrect because it results in an
ungrammatical sentence. The finite past tense verb "included" can’t be used in this way to form a supplementary element
within the main clause. Choice D is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The finite present tense
verb "include" can’t be used in this way to form a supplementary element within the main clause.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f339ee39
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: f339ee39
Multiple newspapers ______ the Spanish-speaking population of Washington, DC, including El Tiempo Latino and
Washington Hispanic.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. serve

B. having served

C. to serve

D. serving

ID: f339ee39 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verb forms within a sentence. A main clause
requires a finite (tensed) verb to perform the action of the subject (in this case, "multiple newspapers"), and this choice
supplies the finite present tense verb "serve" to indicate that there are multiple newspapers serving the Spanish-speaking
population of Washington, DC.

Choice B is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The nonfinite participle "having served" doesn’t
supply the main clause with a finite verb. Choice C is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The
nonfinite to-infinitive "to serve" doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb. Choice D is incorrect because it results
in an ungrammatical sentence. The nonfinite participle "serving" doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 6bc907c9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 6bc907c9
Novelist Jane Austen greatly admired the work of Fanny Burney, a popular English author. In fact, scholars believe that a
passage from the last chapter of Cecilia, a 1782 novel by Burney, likely inspired the title of one of ______ Pride and
Prejudice.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. Austen’s most famous novels,

B. Austens’ most famous novels’,

C. Austens most famous novels,

D. Austen’s most famous novel’s,

ID: 6bc907c9 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of plural and possessive nouns. The singular
possessive proper noun "Austen’s" and the plural noun "novels" correctly indicates that Austen wrote multiple novels that
were famous.

Choice B is incorrect because the context requires the singular possessive proper noun "Austen’s" and the plural noun
"novels," not the plural possessive nouns "Austens’" and "novels’." Choice C is incorrect because the context requires the
singular possessive proper noun "Austen’s," not the plural proper noun "Austens." Choice D is incorrect because the
context requires the plural noun "novels," not the singular possessive noun "novel’s."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID a94b7fd6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: a94b7fd6
With residents from Mexico, China, El Salvador, and many other countries, Los Angeles has long been a city of cultural
diversity. Even back in the 1860s, nearly 30% of the city’s population ______ from outside the United States.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. is being

B. was

C. is

D. will be

ID: a94b7fd6 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense in a sentence. In this
choice, the past tense verb "was," used in conjunction with the prepositional phrase "from outside the United States,"
correctly indicates that in the 1860s nearly 30% of the population in Los Angeles wasn’t from the US.

Choice A is incorrect because the present progressive tense verb "is being" doesn’t indicate that the claim about Los
Angeles’s population refers to the population back in the 1860s. Choice C is incorrect because the present tense verb "is"
doesn’t indicate that the claim about Los Angeles’s population refers to the population back in the 1860s. Choice D is
incorrect because the future tense verb "will be" doesn’t indicate that the claim about Los Angeles’s population refers to
the population back in the 1860s.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID dd428136
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: dd428136
Cheng Dang and her colleagues at the University of Washington recently ran simulations to determine the extent to which
individual snow ______ affect the amount of light reflecting off a snowy surface.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. grain’s physical properties’

B. grains’ physical properties

C. grains’ physical property’s

D. grains physical properties

ID: dd428136 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of plural and possessive nouns. The plural
possessive noun “grains’” and the plural noun “properties” correctly indicate that the simulations involved multiple snow
grains and that those snow grains had several properties.

Choice A is incorrect because the context requires the plural possessive noun “grains’” and the plural noun “properties,”
not the singular possessive noun “grain’s” and the plural possessive noun “properties’.” Choice C is incorrect because the
context requires the plural noun “properties,” not the singular possessive noun “property’s.” Choice D is incorrect because
the context requires the plural possessive noun “grains’,” not the plural noun “grains.”

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 60a4c088
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 60a4c088
What makes the theremin a unique musical instrument? You play it without touching it. When you place your ______ the
pitch will shift as your hands move through the air.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. hand’s between the two antenna’s,

B. hands between the two antennas,

C. hands’ between the two antennas’,

D. hands’ between the two antennas,

ID: 60a4c088 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of plural nouns in a sentence. The plural noun
"hands" and the plural noun "antennas" correctly indicate that two hands are placed between two antennas when playing
the theremin.

Choice A is incorrect because the context requires the plural nouns "hands" and "antennas," not the singular possessive
nouns "hand’s" and "antenna’s." Choice C is incorrect because the context requires the plural nouns "hands" and
"antennas," not the plural possessive nouns "hands’" and "antennas’." Choice D is incorrect because the context requires
the plural noun "hands," not the plural possessive noun "hands’."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID cd4b1a7e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: cd4b1a7e
How did whales, once no bigger than seals, evolve to become the largest animals on Earth? Brazilian biologist Mariana
Nery believes the answer might be found in whales’ DNA. In January 2023, Nery and her colleagues ______ a study
showing changes over time in four whale genes associated with body size.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. published

B. publishing

C. having published

D. to publish

ID: cd4b1a7e Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verb forms within a sentence. A main clause
requires a finite (tensed) verb to perform the action of the subject (in this case, Nery and her colleagues), and this choice
supplies the finite past tense verb "published" to indicate that these biologists shared their findings about changes in
whale genes associated with body size.

Choice B is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The nonfinite participle "publishing" doesn’t
supply the main clause with a finite verb. Choice C is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The
nonfinite participle "having published" doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb. Choice D is incorrect because it
results in an ungrammatical sentence. The nonfinite to-infinitive "to publish" doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite
verb.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 684b8bd2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 684b8bd2
Far from being modern inventions, ______ more than 5,000 years ago.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. Sumerians in ancient Mesopotamia used drinking straws

B. drinking straws were used by Sumerians in ancient Mesopotamia

C. the use of drinking straws by Sumerians in ancient Mesopotamia happened

D. ancient Mesopotamia was home to Sumerians who used drinking straws

ID: 684b8bd2 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. Modifiers and their subjects must go next to each other. The modifier “far from being
modern inventions” must be describing “drinking straws,” because those are the only possible inventions in this
sentence.

Choice A is incorrect. Modifiers and their subjects must go next to each other. The modifier “far from being modern
inventions” can’t be describing “Sumerians,” because they are a group of people, not an invention. Choice C is incorrect.
Modifiers and their subjects must go next to each other. The modifier “far from being modern inventions” can’t be
describing “the use of drinking straws,” because it is not “the use” of drinking straws that is an invention—it is the drinking
straws themselves. Choice D is incorrect. Modifiers and their subjects must go next to each other. The modifier “far from
being modern inventions” can’t be describing “Ancient Mesopotamia,” because that is a place, not an invention.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID bd11fe93
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: bd11fe93
Dr. Rocío Paola Caballero-Gill is a paleoceanographer. This means that Dr. Caballero-Gill doesn’t just study oceans as
they are today. She uses chemistry and fossil evidence ______ oceans as they were in the past.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. has studied

B. to study

C. studied

D. studies

ID: bd11fe93 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verb forms within a sentence. The nonfinite to-
infinitive verb “to study” is correctly used to form a subordinate clause that indicates what Dr. Caballero-Gill uses
chemistry and fossil evidence for (to study oceans as they were in the past).

Choice A is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The finite verb “has studied” can’t be used in this
way to form a subordinate clause that indicates what Dr. Caballero-Gill uses the evidence for. Choice C is incorrect
because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The finite verb “studied” can’t be used in this way to form a subordinate
clause that indicates what Dr. Caballero-Gill uses the evidence for. Choice D is incorrect because it results in an
ungrammatical sentence. The finite verb “studies” can’t be used in this way to form a subordinate clause that indicates
what Dr. Caballero-Gill uses the evidence for.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID d1482e27
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: d1482e27
One of the earliest known maps is a Babylonian clay tablet thought to be almost 4,500 years old. The map ______ the area
of a plot of land, shows a river valley, and includes the cardinal directions.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. describes

B. describe

C. have described

D. are describing

ID: d1482e27 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verb forms within a sentence. The singular verb
"describes" agrees in number with the singular subject "map."

Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb "describe" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "map." Choice C
is incorrect because the plural verb "have described" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "map." Choice D is
incorrect because the plural verb "are describing" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "map."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 67614549
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 67614549
After winning the 1860 presidential election, Abraham Lincoln appointed Edward Bates, Salmon P. Chase, and William H.
Seward to his cabinet. Lincoln’s decision was surprising, since each of these men had run against him, but historians
have praised it, noting that Lincoln ______ his rivals’ diverse talents to strengthen his administration.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. has leveraged

B. is leveraging

C. will leverage

D. leveraged

ID: 67614549 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The subject of the verb is “Lincoln,” and the first sentence tells us that we’re talking about
something that Abraham Lincoln did in 1860. So the simple past tense “leveraged” fits the logic of the text.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice creates a tense issue. “Has leveraged” is the present perfect tense, which is used for
an action that began in the past and continues into the present. Lincoln started leveraging his rivals’ talents in 1860—it’s
definitely not still happening today. So the present perfect tense isn’t appropriate. Choice B is incorrect. This choice
creates a tense issue. “Is leveraging” is the present tense, but Lincoln leveraged his rivals’ talents in 1860, so the present
tense isn’t appropriate. Choice C is incorrect. This choice creates a tense issue. “Will leverage” is the future tense, but
Lincoln leveraged his rivals’ talents in 1860, so the future tense isn’t appropriate.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 12bd5b75
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 12bd5b75
With its towering, six-spired exterior of granitelike quartz monzonite, the Salt Lake Temple is one of the most instantly
recognizable structures in the state of Utah. However, many people do not know that ______ built over the course of forty
years, with construction beginning in 1853 and ending in 1893.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. it was

B. one was

C. they were

D. both were

ID: 12bd5b75 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is pronoun-antecedent agreement. The singular pronoun "it"
agrees in number with the singular antecedent "the Salt Lake Temple."

Choice B is incorrect because the singular pronoun "one" is ambiguous in this context; the resulting sentence leaves
unclear whether there is only one Salt Lake temple or multiple. Choice C is incorrect because the plural pronoun "they"
doesn’t agree in number with the singular antecedent "the Salt Lake Temple." Choice D is incorrect because the plural
pronoun "both" doesn’t agree in number with the singular antecedent "the Salt Lake Temple."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 96e5da01
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 96e5da01
The alga species Chlorella vulgaris is very efficient at making oxygen. For this reason, scientists are currently exploring
ways to use this species in space. C. vulgaris might be used, for example, to build future biological air exchange systems
that ______ oxygen for astronauts.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. are producing

B. produced

C. produce

D. have produced

ID: 96e5da01 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense. Simple present tense
verbs can be used to describe actions that tend to occur, including in a hypothetical or future scenario. In this case, the
simple present tense verb “produce” indicates what the air exchange systems might be able to do in the future (produce
oxygen for astronauts).

Choice A is incorrect. The present progressive tense verb “are producing” suggests that the oxygen is currently being
produced, not that it might be produced in the future. Choice B is incorrect because the past tense verb “produced”
suggests that the oxygen was produced in the past, not that it might be produced in the future. Choice D is incorrect
because the present perfect tense verb “have produced” suggests that the oxygen has been produced from a point in the
past up to the present, not that it might be produced in the future.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 265e7f4c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 265e7f4c
The Globe Theatre in London is a reconstruction of the famed venue where many of Shakespeare’s plays were first
performed. In 1613, a prop cannon ______ during a performance and ignited the Globe’s thatched roof. No one was hurt,
but in two hours the original Globe was gone.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. malfunctions

B. will malfunction

C. has malfunctioned

D. malfunctioned

ID: 265e7f4c Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense. In this choice, the past
tense verb "malfunctioned" is consistent with the other past tense verbs ("ignited" and "was") used to describe the
destruction of the original Globe Theatre.

Choice A is incorrect because the present tense verb "malfunctions" isn’t consistent with the other past tense verbs used
to describe the destruction of the original Globe Theatre. Choice B is incorrect because the future tense verb "will
malfunction" isn’t consistent with the other past tense verbs used to describe the destruction of the original Globe
Theatre. Choice C is incorrect because the present perfect tense verb "has malfunctioned" isn’t consistent with the other
past tense verbs used to describe the destruction of the original Globe Theatre.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID e44db0a0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: e44db0a0
Because a cycle of lunar phases ______ 29.5 days to complete, it’s possible to observe two full moons in a single month,
one at the beginning and one at the end.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. are taking

B. have taken

C. take

D. takes

ID: e44db0a0 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb "takes" agrees in
number with the singular subject "a cycle of lunar phases."

Choice A is incorrect because the plural verb "are taking" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "a cycle of
lunar phases." Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb "have taken" doesn’t agree in number with the singular
subject "a cycle of lunar phases." Choice C is incorrect because the plural verb "take" doesn’t agree in number with the
singular subject "a cycle of lunar phases."

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID cd2443c0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: cd2443c0
A pioneer in the field of taphonomy (the study of how organic remains become fossils), ______ may be just as prevalent in
the fossil record as those of thick-shelled organisms.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. fossils of thin-shelled organisms, Anna Behrensmeyer demonstrated in a 2005 analysis,

B. Anna Behrensmeyer demonstrated in a 2005 analysis that fossils of thin-shelled organisms

C. it was demonstrated in a 2005 analysis by Anna Behrensmeyer that fossils of thin-shelled organisms

D. a 2005 analysis—by Anna Behrensmeyer—demonstrated that fossils of thin-shelled organisms

ID: cd2443c0 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-modifier placement. This choice makes the noun
phrase “Anna Behrensmeyer” the subject of the sentence and places it immediately after the modifying phrase “a
pioneer…fossils.” In doing so, this choice clearly establishes that Anna Behrensmeyer—and not another noun in the
sentence—is a pioneer in the field of taphonomy.

Choice A is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase “fossils of thin-shelled
organisms” immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that the “fossils” are a pioneer in the field of
taphonomy. Choice C is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the pronoun “it” immediately
after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that “it” is a pioneer in the field of taphonomy. Choice D is incorrect
because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase “a 2005 analysis” immediately after the
modifying phrase illogically suggests that “a 2005 analysis” is a pioneer in the field of taphonomy.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 1c65db8f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 1c65db8f
A species of Byropsis algae produces toxins to avoid being eaten by predators. However, in some cases, the toxins the
organism uses to protect itself from predation actually ______ its attractiveness to predators. The Hawaiian sea slug, for
example, not only tolerates Byropsis toxins but actually uses them for protection in the same way the algae does.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. is increasing

B. increase

C. increases

D. has increased

ID: 1c65db8f Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The plural verb "increase" agrees in
number with the plural subject "toxins."

Choice A is incorrect because the singular verb "is increasing" doesn’t agree in number with the plural subject "toxins."
Choice C is incorrect because the singular verb "increases" doesn’t agree in number with the plural subject "toxins."
Choice D is incorrect because the singular verb "has increased" doesn’t agree in number with the plural subject "toxins."

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4c06427b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 4c06427b
Interest in mechanotransduction, the mechanism by which cells sense and convert mechanical stimuli into biochemical
signals, is expanding because of innovative work by biomedical scientists—many of whom, like neuroscience and
biophysics expert Elba Serrano, ______ this mechanism to better understand how the body’s neurological and
biomechanical systems interact.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. is studying

B. has studied

C. study

D. studies

ID: 4c06427b Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verb forms within a sentence. The plural verb
"study" agrees in number with the plural subject "many."

Choice A is incorrect because the singular verb "is studying" doesn’t agree in number with the plural subject "many."
Choice B is incorrect because the singular verb "has studied" doesn’t agree in number with the plural subject "many."
Choice D is incorrect because the singular verb "studies" doesn’t agree in number with the plural subject "many."

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 6d247c13
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 6d247c13
The Boston Saloon was one of the most popular African American–owned establishments in nineteenth-century Nevada.
______ by businessman William A.G. Brown, the saloon was known to offer elegant accommodations and an inclusive
environment.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. Created

B. Creates

C. Creating

D. Create

ID: 6d247c13 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verb forms within a sentence. The nonfinite past
participle "created" is correctly used to form a supplementary element that modifies the noun phrase "the saloon,"
identifying who established the Boston Saloon.

Choice B is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The finite present tense verb "creates" can’t be
used in this way to form a supplementary element to modify the noun phrase "the saloon." Choice C is incorrect because
it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The nonfinite present participle "creating" can’t be used in this way to form a
supplementary element to modify the noun phrase "the saloon." Choice D is incorrect because it results in an
ungrammatical sentence. The finite present tense verb "create" can’t be used in this way to form a supplementary
element to modify the noun phrase "the saloon."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 588887b9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 588887b9
In 1881, French chemist Camille Faure redesigned the rechargeable lead-acid battery. Faure’s design greatly increased
the amount of electricity that the original battery, which the French physicist Gaston Planté ______ fifteen years earlier,
could hold.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. is inventing

B. will invent

C. invents

D. had invented

ID: 588887b9 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. Faure redesigned the battery in 1881, and the original battery was invented “fifteen years
earlier.” Notice that this is the only choice in the past tense. To indicate that a past occurrence took place before another
past occurrence, we need to use “had” + the past tense form of the verb. This is called the “past perfect” tense.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice creates a tense error. Planté invented the original battery in the past, so we shouldn’t
use the present tense “is inventing.” Choice B is incorrect. This choice creates a tense error. Planté invented the original
battery in the past, so we shouldn’t use the future tense “will invent.” Choice C is incorrect. This choice creates a tense
error. Planté invented the original battery in the past, so we shouldn’t use the present tense “invents.”

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 975eda7c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 975eda7c
For thousands of years, people in the Americas ______ the bottle gourd, a large bitter fruit with a thick rind, to make
bottles, other types of containers, and even musical instruments. Oddly, there is no evidence that any type of bottle gourd
is native to the Western Hemisphere; either the fruit or its seeds must have somehow been carried from Asia or Africa.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. to use

B. have used

C. having used

D. using

ID: 975eda7c Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is 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, “people in the Americas”), and this choice
supplies the finite past perfect tense verb “have used” to indicate what people in the Americas used the gourd for.

Choice A is incorrect because the nonfinite to-infinitive “to use” doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb. Choice
C is incorrect because the nonfinite participle “having used” doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb. Choice D is
incorrect because the nonfinite participle “using” doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 3daf126e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 3daf126e
A model created by biologist Luis Valente predicts that the rate of speciation—the rate at which new species form—on an
isolated island located approximately 5,000 kilometers from the nearest mainland ______ triple the rate of speciation on
an island only 500 kilometers from the mainland.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. being

B. to be

C. to have been

D. will be

ID: 3daf126e Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is finite and nonfinite verb forms within a sentence. Relative
clauses, such as the one beginning with “that,” require a finite verb, a verb that can function as the main verb of a clause.
This choice correctly supplies the clause with the finite future tense verb “will be.”

Choice A is incorrect because the nonfinite participle “being” doesn’t supply the clause with a finite verb. Choice B is
incorrect because the nonfinite to-infinitive “to be” doesn’t supply the clause with a finite verb. Choice C is incorrect
because the nonfinite to-infinitive “to have been” doesn’t supply the clause with a finite verb.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID db2e480a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: db2e480a
By the time Hawaiian king Kamehameha III ______ the throne, the number of longhorn cattle, first introduced to the
islands in 1793, had drastically increased, and so too had the need for paniolo (Hawaiian cowboys) to manage the wild
herds that then roamed throughout the volcanic terrain.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. ascended

B. will ascend

C. ascends

D. is ascending

ID: db2e480a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. "Ascended" is in the simple past tense. Since Kamehameha became king in the past, this
makes the most sense.

Choice B is incorrect. "Will ascend" is in the future tense, but we wouldn’t know about Kamehameha III’s ascent if it hadn’t
happened yet. The information in the sentence, as well as the tense of other verbs, tells us that the events described
happened in the past. Choice C is incorrect. "Ascends" is in the simple present tense. However, the information in the
sentence, as well as the tense of other verbs, tells us that the events described happened in the past. Choice D is
incorrect. "Is ascending" is in the continuous present tense, which we use to show that something is ongoing, but this
doesn’t make sense here—the information in the sentence, as well as the tense of other verbs, tells us that the events
described happened in the past.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 4c9a2aee
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 4c9a2aee
Wanda Diaz-Merced is an astrophysicist who lost her sight when she was young. Diaz-Merced’s condition inspired her to
develop software that can translate scientific data into sound. Sound-based tools ______ scientists to detect subtle
patterns in data. Such patterns may not be evident in traditional graphs.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. has enabled

B. enable

C. is enabling

D. enables

ID: 4c9a2aee Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The plural verb "enable" agrees in
number with the plural subject "sound-based tools."

Choice A is incorrect because the singular verb "has enabled" doesn’t agree in number with the plural subject "sound-
based tools." Choice C is incorrect because the singular verb "is enabling" doesn’t agree in number with the plural subject
"sound-based tools." Choice D is incorrect because the singular verb "enables" doesn’t agree in number with the plural
subject "sound-based tools."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID a30567fd
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: a30567fd
Nuhād al-Ḥaddād, known as Fairuz, was one of the most beloved Lebanese singers of the twentieth century. Her broad
singing repertoire—which included traditional forms, such as the Arabic qasida and maqam, alongside modern pop and
jazz styles—lent Fairuz a timeless, cross-generational appeal, ______ her the moniker “the soul of Lebanon.”

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. earned

B. had earned

C. earning

D. earn

ID: a30567fd Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The word "earning" is being used to introduce an additional modifying phrase, which
describes how Fairuz’s repertoire lent her cross-generational appeal. When a verb ends in -ing and doesn’t have a helper
verb like "is" before it, it can be used to modify a noun or verb. This is appropriate here.

Choice A is incorrect. The underlined verb is being used to introduce additional descriptive information, which is set off
from the rest of the sentence by a comma. Because there is no subject here, a finite form of the verb (like "earned")
creates an error. We need another form of the verb that doesn’t require a subject and can introduce descriptive
information. Choice B is incorrect. The underlined verb is being used to introduce additional descriptive information,
which is set off from the rest of the sentence by a comma. Because there is no subject here, a finite form of the verb (like
"had earned") creates an error. We need another form of the verb that doesn’t require a subject and can introduce
descriptive information. Choice D is incorrect. The underlined verb is being used to introduce additional descriptive
information, which is set off from the rest of the sentence by a comma. Because there is no subject here, a finite form of
the verb (like "earn") creates an error. We need another form of the verb that doesn’t require a subject and can introduce
descriptive information.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 329255db
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 329255db
Bengali author Toru Dutt’s A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields (1876), a volume of English translations of French poems,
______ scholars’ understanding of the transnational and multilingual contexts in which Dutt lived and worked.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. has enhanced

B. are enhancing

C. have enhanced

D. enhance

ID: 329255db Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb “has enhanced”
agrees in number with the singular subject “A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields,” which is the title of a book of poems.

Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb “are enhancing” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “A Sheaf
Gleaned in French Fields.” Choice C is incorrect because the plural verb “have enhanced” doesn’t agree in number with
the singular subject “A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields.” Choice D is incorrect because the plural verb “enhance” doesn’t
agree in number with the singular subject “A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields.”

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID aa443c4b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: aa443c4b
Recent pollen analyses of the Aran Islands have led some researchers to propose that the now treeless islands were
once wooded. This hypothesis ______ that certain trees, such as P. sylvestris, survived without interruption or human
intervention throughout the Holocene cannot stand, researchers Michael O’Connell and Karen Molloy counter, unless
other explanations can first be ruled out.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. suggesting

B. suggested

C. suggests

D. has suggested

ID: aa443c4b Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verb forms within a sentence. The nonfinite
present participle "suggesting" is correctly used to form a restrictive participial phrase ("suggesting...Holocene") within
the main clause ("This hypothesis...cannot stand..."). This participial phrase functions as part of the sentence’s subject
("This...Holocene"), providing essential identifying information about what the hypothesis states—namely, that certain
trees survived without interruption or human intervention throughout the Holocene.

Choice B is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The finite verb "suggested" can’t be used in this
way within the subject of the sentence. Choice C is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The finite
verb "suggests" can’t be used in this way within the subject of the sentence. Choice D is incorrect because it results in an
ungrammatical sentence. The finite verb "has suggested" can’t be used in this way within the subject of the sentence.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 42cc9236
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 42cc9236
If you try on one of artist Nick Cave’s signature Soundsuits, you can expect to swish, rustle, or clang every time you move.
Cave makes his suits out of found objects, everything from ceramic birds to broken record players. He carefully considers
the sound an object makes before using ______ in a suit.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. this

B. that

C. these

D. it

ID: 42cc9236 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested here is pronoun-antecedent agreement. The singular pronoun
"it" agrees in number with the singular antecedent "object."

Choice A is incorrect. The singular pronoun "this" is used to refer to a specific thing, but here there is no specific object
being referred to. Instead, the sentence is referring back to a hypothetical object that Cave might use in a Soundsuit.
Choice B is incorrect. The singular pronoun "that" is used to refer to a specific thing, but here there is no specific object
being referred to. Instead, the sentence is referring back to a hypothetical object that Cave might use in a Soundsuit.
Choice C is incorrect because the plural pronoun "these" doesn’t agree in number with the singular antecedent "object."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 81ac953e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 81ac953e
In 1899, Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius developed an equation to answer a long-standing question: why do chemical
reactions speed up at higher temperatures? The Arrhenius equation, named for its creator, ______ an important concept in
modern chemistry.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. have remained

B. remain

C. remains

D. are remaining

ID: 81ac953e Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. This choice uses the singular verb "remains" to match the singular subject "equation."

Choice A is incorrect. The singular noun "equation" doesn’t match with the plural verb conjugation "have remained."
Choice B is incorrect. The singular noun "equation" doesn’t match with the plural verb conjugation "remain." Choice D is
incorrect. The singular noun "equation" doesn’t match with the plural verb conjugation "are remaining."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID b32eab9f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: b32eab9f
Increased gender diversity is revitalizing the field of economics, according to Harvard’s Claudia Goldin. The trailblazing
accomplishments of Goldin, winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Economics for her work on women in the labor force,
______ to the value of scholars of diverse backgrounds in spurring research into previously unexplored, but vitally
important, topics.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. attests

B. has attested

C. is attesting

D. attest

ID: b32eab9f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The plural verb "attest" agrees in
number with the plural subject "trailblazing accomplishments."

Choice A is incorrect because the singular verb "attests" doesn’t agree in number with the plural subject "trailblazing
accomplishments." Choice B is incorrect because the singular verb "has attested" doesn’t agree in number with the plural
subject "trailblazing accomplishments." Choice C is incorrect because the singular verb "is attesting" doesn’t agree in
number with the plural subject "trailblazing accomplishments."

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 50801257
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 50801257
In 1994, almost 200 years after the death of Wang Zhenyi, the International Astronomical ______ the contributions of the
barrier-breaking 18th-century astronomer and author of “Dispute of the Procession of the Equinoxes,” naming a crater on
Venus after her.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. Union would finally acknowledge

B. Union to finally acknowledge

C. Union, having finally acknowledged

D. Union, finally acknowledging

ID: 50801257 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. It’s the only choice that offers a form of the verb “acknowledge” that can go with the subject
“International Astronomical Union” to make a complete sentence. This might seem like an odd use of “would,” but when
speaking from a point of view in the past, we can actually use “would” to express something that happened later. That’s
the case here: 200 years after Wang Zhenyi’s death, the IAU would finally acknowledge her contributions.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice creates a sentence fragment. There’s no main verb elsewhere in the sentence, so we
need a form of the verb “acknowledge” that can go with the subject “the International Astronomical Union” and serve as
that main verb. “To acknowledge” can’t do that. Choice C is incorrect. This choice creates a sentence fragment. There’s
no main verb elsewhere in the sentence, so we need a form of the verb “acknowledge” that can go with the subject “the
International Astronomical Union” and serve as that main verb. “Having acknowledged” can’t do that. Choice D is
incorrect. This choice creates a sentence fragment. There’s no main verb elsewhere in the sentence, so we need a form
of the verb “acknowledge” that can go with the subject “the International Astronomical Union” and serve as that main
verb. The “-ing” form can’t do that.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 028752cd
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 028752cd
The Dust Bowl was a period of severe drought that plagued the Great Plains of the US during the 1930s. During this time,
dust storms ______ over 100 million acres of land. They even reached as far east as New York City.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. are affecting

B. will have affected

C. will affect

D. affected

ID: 028752cd Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense in a sentence. In this
choice, the past tense verb "affected," used in conjunction with the phrase "during this time," correctly indicates that the
dust storms occurred in the 1930s.

Choice A is incorrect because the present progressive tense verb "are affecting" doesn’t indicate that the dust storms
occurred in the 1930s. Choice B is incorrect because the future perfect tense verb "will have affected" doesn’t indicate
that the dust storms occurred in the 1930s. Choice C is incorrect because the future tense verb "will affect" doesn’t
indicate that the dust storms occurred in the 1930s.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID a14eef71
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: a14eef71
In 2015, a team led by materials scientists Anirudha Sumant and Diana Berman succeeded in reducing the coefficient of
friction (COF) between two surfaces to the lowest possible level—superlubricity. A nearly frictionless (and, as its name
suggests, extremely slippery) state, ______

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. when their COF drops below 0.01, two surfaces reach superlubricity.

B. two surfaces, when their COF drops below 0.01, reach superlubricity.

C. reaching superlubricity occurs when two surfaces’ COF drops below 0.01.

D. superlubricity is reached when two surfaces’ COF drops below 0.01.

ID: a14eef71 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The subject of the modifier “a nearly frictionless state” is “superlubricity.” Subject-modifier
placement requires a modifier and its subject to be next to one another, so “superlubricity” must be the first word in the
missing clause.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice creates a subject-modifier placement error. The subject of the modifier “a nearly
frictionless state” is “superlubricity.” Subject-modifier placement requires a modifier and its subject to be next to one
another, so “superlubricity” must be the first word in the missing clause. Choice B is incorrect. This choice creates a
subject-modifier placement error. The subject of the modifier “a nearly frictionless state” is “superlubricity.” Subject-
modifier placement requires a modifier and its subject to be next to one another, so “superlubricity” must be the first word
in the missing clause. Choice C is incorrect. This choice creates a subject-modifier placement error. The subject of the
modifier “a nearly frictionless state” is “superlubricity.” Subject-modifier placement requires a modifier and its subject to
be next to one another, so “superlubricity” must be the first word in the missing clause.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 5fd86f4b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 5fd86f4b
The ghazal, a poetic form originating in seventh-century Arabic poetry, has an intricate structure. The twentieth-century
Kashmiri American poet Agha Shahid Ali explains that each one of a ghazal’s couplets, while adhering to the patterns of
rhyme (qafia) and refrain (radif) established in the poem’s opening lines (matla), ______ thematically and logically
autonomous, resulting in a poem with “a stringently formal disunity.”

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. is

B. were

C. have been

D. are

ID: 5fd86f4b Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verb forms within a sentence. The singular verb
"is" agrees in number with the singular subject "each one of a ghazal’s couplets." While the prepositional phrase "of a
ghazal’s couplets" within the subject contains a plural noun, the head of the subject ("each one") is singular, indicating
that each individual couplet (not the couplets as a group) is "thematically and logically autonomous," or self-standing.

Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb "were" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "each one of a
ghazal’s couplets." Choice C is incorrect because the plural verb "have been" doesn’t agree in number with the singular
subject "each one of a ghazal’s couplets." Choice D is incorrect because the plural verb "are" doesn’t agree in number with
the singular subject "each one of a ghazal’s couplets."

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b85c19ed
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: b85c19ed
The violins handmade in the seventeenth century by Italian craftsman Antonio Stradivari have been celebrated as some
of the finest in the world. In close collaboration with musicians, Stradivari introduced changes to the shape of a
traditional violin, flattening some of the instrument’s curves and making ______ lighter overall.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. those

B. one

C. them

D. it

ID: b85c19ed Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is pronoun–antecedent agreement. The singular pronoun “it”
agrees in number with the singular antecedent “violin” and thus indicates that the traditional violin (and not its curves)
was made lighter.

Choice A is incorrect because the plural pronoun “those” doesn’t agree in number with the singular antecedent “violin.”
Choice B is incorrect because the singular pronoun “one” is ambiguous in this context; the resulting sentence leaves
unclear what Stradivari made lighter. Choice C is incorrect because the plural pronoun “them” doesn’t agree in number
with the singular antecedent “violin.”

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 18382e67
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 18382e67
In Marisol’s 1968 sculpture Mi Mama y Yo, gone are the types of pop culture references that made the Parisian-born
Venezuelan American artist a star at the height of the pop art movement. In ______ place is a far more personal subject: a
sculptural depiction of the artist as a young girl with her mother.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. its

B. they’re

C. their

D. it’s

ID: 18382e67 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of possessive determiners. The plural possessive
determiner "their" agrees in number with the plural noun "types" and thus indicates that the more personal subject matter
of Marisol’s 1968 sculpture takes the place of those types of pop culture references that made Marisol a star.

Choice A is incorrect because the singular possessive determiner "its" doesn’t agree in number with the plural noun
"types." Choice B is incorrect because "they’re" is the contraction for "they are," not a possessive determiner. Choice D is
incorrect because "it’s" is the contraction for "it is" or "it has," not a possessive determiner.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 56770dda
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 56770dda
In his 1963 exhibition Exposition of Music—Electronic Television, Korean American artist Nam June Paik showed how
television images could be manipulated to express an artist’s perspective. Today, Paik ______ considered the first video
artist.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. will be

B. had been

C. was

D. is

ID: 56770dda Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense. In this choice, the present
tense verb "is," used in conjunction with the word "today," correctly indicates that Paik is currently considered the first
video artist.

Choice A is incorrect because the future tense verb "will be" doesn’t indicate that Paik is currently considered the first
video artist. Choice B is incorrect because the past perfect tense verb "had been" doesn’t indicate that Paik is currently
considered the first video artist. Choice C is incorrect because the past tense verb "was" doesn’t indicate that Paik is
currently considered the first video artist.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID d073983d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: d073983d
Known for her massive photorealistic paintings of African American figures floating or swimming in pools, Calida Garcia
______ was the logical choice to design the book cover for Ta-Nehisi Coates’s The Water Dancer, a novel about an African
American man who can travel great distances through water.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. Rawles—

B. Rawles:

C. Rawles,

D. Rawles

ID: d073983d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation between a subject and a verb. When, as in this
case, a subject (“Calida Garcia Rawles”) is immediately followed by a verb (“was”), no punctuation is needed.

Choice A is incorrect because no punctuation is needed between the subject and the verb. Choice B is incorrect because
no punctuation is needed between the subject and the verb. Choice C is incorrect because no punctuation is needed
between the subject and the verb.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 02913383
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 02913383
“He was just the man for such a place, and it was just the place for such a man.” This line is from Frederick Douglass’s
autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845). It’s an example of antimetabole, a writing technique
that ______ emphasis by repeating a statement in a reversed order.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. create

B. are creating

C. have created

D. creates

ID: 02913383 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb "creates" agrees in
number with the singular subject "technique."

Choice A is incorrect because the plural verb "create" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "technique."
Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb "are creating" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "technique."
Choice C is incorrect because the plural verb "have created" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject
"technique."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID e92a7ad3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: e92a7ad3
In the Inca Empire (1438–1533), ayllus ______ family clans that ranged in size from small groups to thousands of people.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. is

B. was

C. has been

D. were

ID: e92a7ad3 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The plural verb "were" agrees in
number with the plural subject "ayllus," which are described as plural "family clans."

Choice A is incorrect because the singular verb "is" doesn’t agree in number with the plural subject "ayllus." Choice B is
incorrect because the singular verb "was" doesn’t agree in number with the plural subject "ayllus." Choice C is incorrect
because the singular verb "has been" doesn’t agree in number with the plural subject "ayllus."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 8a9d2f4e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 8a9d2f4e
Researchers studying the “terra-cotta army,” the thousands of life-size statues of warriors found interred near the tomb of
Emperor Qin Shi Huang of China, were shocked to realize that the shape of each statue’s ears, like the shape of each
person’s ears, ______ unique.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. are

B. is

C. were

D. have been

ID: 8a9d2f4e Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb "is" agrees in
number with the singular subject "the shape."

Choice A is incorrect because the plural verb "are" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "the shape." Choice C
is incorrect because the plural verb "were" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "the shape." Choice D is
incorrect because the plural verb "have been" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "the shape."

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 576b2c70
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 576b2c70
A member of the Cherokee Nation, Mary Golda Ross is renowned for her contributions to NASA’s Planetary Flight
Handbook, which ______ detailed mathematical guidance for missions to Mars and Venus.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. provided

B. having provided

C. to provide

D. providing

ID: 576b2c70 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of finite verbs in a relative clause. Relative clauses,
such as the one beginning with “which,” require a finite verb, a verb that can function as the main verb of a clause. This
choice correctly supplies the clause with the finite past tense verb “provided.”

Choice B is incorrect because the non-finite participle “having provided” doesn’t supply the clause with a finite verb.
Choice C is incorrect because the non-finite to-infinitive “to provide” doesn’t supply the clause with a finite verb. Choice D
is incorrect because the non-finite participle “providing” doesn’t supply the clause with a finite verb.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID dfbf5d33
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: dfbf5d33
In 1453, English King Henry VI became unfit to rule after falling gravely ill. As a result, Parliament appointed Richard, Third
Duke of York, who had a strong claim to the English throne, to rule as Lord Protector. Upon recovering two years later,
______ forcing an angered Richard from the royal court and precipitating a series of battles later known as the Wars of the
Roses.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. Henry resumed his reign,

B. the reign of Henry resumed,

C. Henry’s reign resumed,

D. it was Henry who resumed his reign,

ID: dfbf5d33 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-modifier placement. This choice ensures that the
introductory phrase “upon recovering two years later” appears immediately before the noun it modifies (“Henry”), clearly
establishing that Henry recovered two years later.

Choice B is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase “the reign of Henry”
immediately after the introductory phrase illogically suggests that the reign of Henry recovered two years later. Choice C
is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase “Henry’s reign” immediately after
the introductory phrase illogically suggests that Henry’s reign recovered two years later. Choice D is incorrect because it
results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the function word “it” immediately after the introductory phrase illogically
suggests that “it” recovered two years later.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID cf08e2fd
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: cf08e2fd
From 1912 to 1951, Charlotta Bass owned and operated the newspaper The California Eagle. While it was under Bass’s
leadership, The Eagle ______ one of the US’s most influential Black-owned newspapers.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. will become

B. became

C. is becoming

D. to become

ID: cf08e2fd Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The conventions being tested are the use of verbs to express tense and the use of verb
forms within a sentence. In this choice, the past tense verb "became" is consistent with the other past tense verbs
("owned," "operated," and "was") used to indicate that, at a period of time in the past, Bass’s leadership resulted in her
newspaper becoming one of the most influential Black-owned newspapers in the US. In addition, "became" supplies the
main clause with a finite (tensed) verb, which is required to perform the action of the subject (in this case, "The Eagle").

Choice A is incorrect because the future tense verb "will become" isn’t consistent with the other past tense verbs used to
discuss Bass and her newspaper. Choice C is incorrect because the present progressive verb "is becoming" isn’t
consistent with the other past tense verbs used to discuss Bass and her newspaper. Choice D is incorrect because it
results in an ungrammatical sentence. The nonfinite to-infinitive "to become" doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite
verb.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID ec08463d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: ec08463d
Botanists recognize over fifty different species of sunflower. One species, the silverleaf sunflower, ______ both an early-
flowering ecotype that tends to grow in coastal areas and a late-flowering ecotype that grows inland.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. having included

B. including

C. to include

D. includes

ID: ec08463d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. This verb needs to function as the main verb in the sentence, with the subject “one species,”
so it needs to be conjugated. This choice gives us the singular present tense “includes,” which is the only conjugated
form of the verb among the choices.

Choice A is incorrect. This doesn’t complete the text in a way that conforms to the conventions of Standard English. This
verb needs to function as the main verb in the sentence, with the subject “one species,” so it needs to be conjugated.
“Having included” is a participle form of the verb: it’s not conjugated and doesn’t function like a normal verb. Choice B is
incorrect. This doesn’t complete the text in a way that conforms to the conventions of Standard English. This verb needs
to function as the main verb in the sentence, with the subject “one species,” so it needs to be conjugated. “Including” is
the gerund form of the verb: it’s not conjugated and doesn’t function like a normal verb. Choice C is incorrect. This
doesn’t complete the text in a way that conforms to the conventions of Standard English. This verb needs to function as
the main verb in the sentence, with the subject “one species,” so it needs to be conjugated. “To include” is the infinitive
form of the verb: it’s not conjugated.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 4a90a978
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 4a90a978
In 1990, California native and researcher Ellen Ochoa left her position as chief of the Intelligent Systems Technology
Branch at a NASA research center ______ the space agency’s astronaut training program.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. to join

B. is joining

C. joined

D. joins

ID: 4a90a978 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of nonfinite verb forms in a sentence. The nonfinite
to-infinitive verb "to join" is correctly used to form a subordinate clause that expresses why Ochoa left her position (to join
the training program).

Choice B is incorrect because the finite verb "is joining" can’t be used in this way to indicate Ochoa’s action of joining the
training program. A conjunction such as "and" would be needed to coordinate "is joining" with the previous finite verb,
"left." Choice C is incorrect because the finite verb "joined" can’t be used in this way to indicate Ochoa’s action of joining
the training program. A conjunction such as "and" would be needed to coordinate "joined" with the previous finite verb,
"left." Choice D is incorrect because the finite verb "joins" can’t be used in this way to indicate Ochoa’s action of joining
the training program. A conjunction such as "and" would be needed to coordinate "joins" with the previous finite verb,
"left."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 59e41600
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 59e41600
Why are Rome’s famous concrete structures, such as the Colosseum, still standing after 2,000-plus years, when modern
concrete may not even last for fifty? Scientists ______ that the secret to Roman concrete’s durability was its unique blend
of ingredients, which included volcanic ash and seawater.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. explain

B. having explained

C. explaining

D. to explain

ID: 59e41600 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verb forms within a sentence. The main clause of
a sentence requires a finite (tensed) verb, and this choice supplies the finite present tense verb “explain” to indicate what
the scientists do.

Choice B is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The nonfinite participle “having explained” doesn’t
supply the main clause with a finite verb. Choice C is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The
nonfinite participle “explaining” doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb. Choice D is incorrect because it results
in an ungrammatical sentence. The nonfinite to-infinitive “to explain” doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID c8607bdf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: c8607bdf
“Praise Song for the Day,” Elizabeth Alexander’s 2009 inaugural poem, asserts that “We cross dirt roads and highways…to
see what’s on the other side.” Alexander’s use of “we” ______ Americans’ collective efforts and shared desire to seek new
opportunity.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. evokes

B. are evoking

C. have evoked

D. evoke

ID: c8607bdf Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb "evokes" agrees in
number with the singular subject "Alexander’s use."

Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb "are evoking" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "Alexander’s
use." Choice C is incorrect because the plural verb "have evoked" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject
"Alexander’s use." Choice D is incorrect because the plural verb "evoke" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject
"Alexander’s use."

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 94de423a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 94de423a
In a rural area along the border between Oklahoma and Texas, amateur astronomers gather each year to observe the
night sky at the Okie-Tex Star Party. Like most star parties, Okie-Tex takes place in an area with low light pollution, ______
dark skies and ideal stargazing conditions.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. ensuring

B. this will ensure

C. ensures

D. it ensures

ID: 94de423a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verb forms within a sentence. The nonfinite
present participle "ensuring" is correctly used to form a supplementary element that modifies the main clause "Okie-Tex
takes place in an area with low light pollution," describing the viewing conditions of the star party.

Choice B is incorrect because it results in a comma splice. The pronoun "this" and the finite future tense verb "will ensure"
would add an additional main clause to this sentence, and the comma after "pollution" can’t be used in this way to join
two main clauses. Choice C is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The finite present tense verb
"ensures" can’t be used in this way to form a supplementary element to modify the main clause. Choice D is incorrect
because it results in a comma splice. The pronoun "it" and the finite present tense verb "ensures" would add an additional
main clause to this sentence, and the comma after "pollution" can’t be used in this way to join two main clauses.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 0bcb4417
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 0bcb4417
Oglala Lakota poet Layli Long Soldier’s star quilt poems offer an unusually open-ended reading experience. With ______
eight panels of text stitched together in the shape of a traditional eight-pointed Lakota star quilt, the poems present
viewers with a seemingly infinite number of ways to read them.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. their

B. it’s

C. they’re

D. its

ID: 0bcb4417 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of possessive determiners. The plural possessive
determiner "their" agrees in number with the plural noun "the poems," thus indicating that the poems had eight panels of
text stitched together in the shape of a traditional eight-pointed Lakota star quilt.

Choice B is incorrect because "it’s" is the contraction for "it is" or "it has," not a possessive determiner. Choice C is
incorrect because "they’re" is the contraction for "they are," not a possessive determiner. Choice D is incorrect
because the singular possessive determiner "its" doesn’t agree in number with the plural noun "the poems."

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID f40ca576
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: f40ca576
Each year in the fall, when the weather starts to cool in the northern hemisphere, millions of North American monarch
butterflies journey south. Searching for food and warmer habitats, they ______ thousands of miles—from as far north as
Canada all the way down to Mexico—on this annual migration.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. flew

B. were flying

C. had flown

D. fly

ID: f40ca576 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense. In this choice, the present
tense verb “fly” is consistent with the other present tense verb ( “journey”) used to describe the butterflies’ yearly
migration. Together, these simple present tense verbs correctly indicate that the migration is a current, yearly occurrence.

Choice A is incorrect. The simple past tense verb “flew” isn’t consistent with the other present tense verb used to
describe the butterflies’ yearly migration. Choice B is incorrect. The past progressive tense verb “were flying” isn’t
consistent with the other present tense verb used to describe the butterflies’ yearly migration. Choice C is incorrect. The
past perfect tense verb “had flown” isn’t consistent with the other present tense verb used to describe the butterflies’
yearly migration.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 1d971f75
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 1d971f75
Photographer Ansel Adams’s landscape portraits are iconic pieces of American art. However, many of the ______ of
landscapes were intended not as art but as marketing; a concessions company at Yosemite National Park had hired
Adams to take pictures of the park for restaurant menus and brochures.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. photographer’s early photo’s

B. photographers early photo’s

C. photographer’s early photos

D. photographers early photos

ID: 1d971f75 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. There’s only one photographer (Adams), and the photos are his, so the singular possessive
"photographer’s" is correct. There’s more than one photo, and nothing belongs to the photos, so the simple plural "photos"
is correct.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice uses the singular possessive "photo’s," which isn’t correct. There’s more than one
photo, and they don’t possess anything, so the noun should be the simple plural "photos." Choice B is incorrect. This
choice uses the simple plural "photographers" and the singular possessive "photo’s," which aren’t correct. There’s only
one photographer (Adams) and there’s more than one photo. Choice D is incorrect. This choice uses the simple plural
"photographers," which isn’t correct. There’s only one photographer (Adams).

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID d2cf0e11
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: d2cf0e11
Inventor John Friedman created a prototype of the first flexible straw by inserting a screw into a paper straw and, using
dental floss, binding the straw tightly around the ______ When the floss and screw were removed, the resulting
corrugations in the paper allowed the straw to bend easily over the edge of a glass.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. screw’s thread’s.

B. screws’ threads.

C. screw’s threads.

D. screws threads’.

ID: d2cf0e11 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of plural and possessive nouns. The singular
possessive noun “screw’s” and the plural noun “threads” correctly indicate that there is only one screw and it has multiple
threads.

Choice A is incorrect because the context requires the plural noun “threads,” not the singular possessive noun “thread’s.”
Choice B is incorrect because the context requires the singular possessive noun “screw’s,” not the plural possessive noun
“screws’.” Choice D is incorrect because the context requires the singular possessive noun “screw’s” and the plural noun
“threads,” not the plural noun “screws” or the plural possessive noun “threads.’”

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 31362d2d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 31362d2d
If simple sugars such as ribose and glycolaldehyde ______ Earth from elsewhere and survived impact—a possibility
astrophysicist Nicolle Zellner outlined in a 2020 study—the sugars could have reacted with other molecules that were
already present on the planet to form the nucleotides that are the structural components of RNA and DNA.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. reach

B. had reached

C. will reach

D. are reaching

ID: 31362d2d Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense. In this choice, the past
perfect verb “had reached” is used correctly to describe a past action that was completed before another action in the
past. Specifically, in this hypothetical scenario about the origins of RNA and DNA on Earth, the simple sugars had to have
reached Earth before they could react with other molecules on the planet.

Choice A is incorrect because the present tense verb “reach” doesn’t indicate that the simple sugars reached Earth before
reacting with other molecules on the planet. Choice C is incorrect because the future tense verb “will reach” doesn’t
indicate that the simple sugars reached Earth before reacting with other molecules on the planet. Choice D is incorrect
because the present progressive verb “are reaching” doesn’t indicate that the simple sugars reached Earth before
reacting with other molecules on the planet.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 3595a991
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 3595a991
In 1930, Japanese American artist Chiura Obata depicted the natural beauty of Yosemite National Park in two memorable
woodcuts: Evening at Carl Inn and Lake Basin in the High Sierra. In 2019, ______ exhibited alongside 150 of Obata’s other
works in a single-artist show at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. it was

B. they were

C. this was

D. some were

ID: 3595a991 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is pronoun–antecedent agreement. The plural pronoun “they”
agrees in number with the plural antecedent “woodcuts” and clearly identifies what was exhibited at the Smithsonian
American Art Museum.

Choice A is incorrect because the singular pronoun “it” doesn’t agree in number with the plural antecedent “woodcuts.”
Choice C is incorrect because the singular pronoun “this” doesn’t agree in number with the plural antecedent “woodcuts.”
Choice D is incorrect because the plural pronoun “some” is illogical in this context (referring to “some” of two woodcuts).

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 2b6e1c06
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 2b6e1c06
A government body officially known as the Althing, ______

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. the world’s oldest parliaments include one which first met in 930 CE, Iceland’s.

B. Iceland’s parliament is one of the oldest in the world, first meeting in 930 CE.

C. the first meeting of one of the oldest parliaments in the world, Iceland’s, was in 930 CE.

D. 930 CE was the year when Iceland’s parliament, one of the oldest parliaments in the world, first met.

ID: 2b6e1c06 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-modifier placement. This choice makes the noun
phrase "Iceland’s parliament" the subject of the sentence and places it immediately after the modifying phrase "a
government body officially known as the Althing." In doing so, this choice clearly establishes that Iceland’s parliament—
and not another noun in the sentence—is the government body known as the Althing.

Choice A is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase "the world’s oldest
parliaments" immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that the world’s oldest parliaments are a
government body known as the Althing. Choice C is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of
the noun phrase "the first meeting" immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that the first meeting of
Iceland’s parliament was a government body known as the Althing. Choice D is incorrect because it results in a dangling
modifier. The placement of the noun phrase "930 CE" immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that the
year 930 CE is a government body known as the Althing.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d46ac7e7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: d46ac7e7
A second-generation Japanese American, Wataru Misaka ______ in World War II (1941-45) and won two amateur national
basketball championships at the University of Utah when he joined the New York Knicks for the 1947-48 season,
becoming the first non-white basketball player in the US’s top professional league.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. already served

B. was already serving

C. already serves

D. had already served

ID: d46ac7e7 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. Misaka served in World War II before he joined the New York Knicks in 1947. To show that a
past occurrence took place before another past occurrence, we need to use “had” + the past tense form of the verb. This
is called the past perfect tense.

Choice A is incorrect. Misaka served in World War II before he joined the Knicks. Both events are in the past, but his
service in World War II happened earlier, so we need a verb that makes it clear that his service (and the two national
championships) had ended by the time he joined the Knicks. Choice B is incorrect. “Was already serving” forms the
continuous past tense, which we use when we’re showing a past action that was ongoing. Misaka served in World War II
before he joined the Knicks. Both events are in the past, but they’re not happening at the same time, so we shouldn’t use
the continuous past tense here. Choice C is incorrect. Misaka served in World War II in the past, so we shouldn’t use the
present tense “serves.”

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7a0d9031
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 7a0d9031
In many of her landscape paintings from the 1970s and 1980s, Lebanese American artist Etel Adnan worked to capture
the essence of California’s fog-shrouded Mount Tamalpais region through abstraction, using splotches of color to
represent the area’s features. Interestingly, the triangle representing the mountain itself ______ among the few defined
figures in her paintings.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. are

B. have been

C. were

D. is

ID: 7a0d9031 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject–verb agreement. The singular verb “is” agrees in
number with the singular subject “the triangle.”

Choice A is incorrect because the plural verb “are” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “the triangle.” Choice
B is incorrect because the plural verb “have been” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “the triangle.” Choice
C is incorrect because the plural verb “were” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “the triangle.”

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID f40b447c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: f40b447c
Featuring jagged peaks of black ink surrounded by hazy swirls of blue and green paint, Zhang Daqian’s 1983 painting
Panorama of Mount Lu is inspired by the tradition of ü , a type of Chinese landscape painting ______ by the
use of blue and green hues to depict ethereal, otherworldly landscapes.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. has been characterized

B. will be characterized

C. characterized

D. is characterized

ID: f40b447c Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verb forms within a sentence. The nonfinite past
participle "characterized" is correctly used within a supplementary element that modifies the main clause
"Zhang...shanshui," defining qinglü shanshui and explaining some of its identifying traits.

Choice A is incorrect because it results in a comma splice. Using the finite present perfect tense verb "has been
characterized" creates a second main clause in the sentence, and the two main clauses can’t be joined in this way by only
the comma before "a type." Choice B is incorrect because it results in a comma splice. Using the finite future tense verb
"will be characterized" creates a second main clause in the sentence, and the two main clauses can’t be joined in this way
by only the comma before "a type." Choice D is incorrect because it results in a comma splice. Using the finite present
tense verb "is characterized" creates a second main clause in the sentence, and the two main clauses can’t be joined in
this way by only the comma before "a type."

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 28166dc6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 28166dc6
In knot theory (the mathematical study of curved, closed loops), knots are characterized by their crossing numbers—that
is, the number of times the knotted thread crosses over itself. The trefoil knot and the figure-eight knot, each with a
crossing number below five, ______ among the simplest possible knots with the fewest number of crossings.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. was

B. are

C. has been

D. is

ID: 28166dc6 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The plural verb "are" agrees in
number with the plural compound subject "the trefoil knot and the figure-eight knot." The two types of knots joined by
"and" function as a plural subject and thus require a plural verb.

Choice A is incorrect because the singular verb "was" doesn’t agree in number with the plural compound subject "the
trefoil knot and the figure-eight knot." Choice C is incorrect because the singular verb "has been" doesn’t agree in number
with the plural compound subject "the trefoil knot and the figure-eight knot." Choice D is incorrect because the singular
verb "is" doesn’t agree in number with the plural compound subject "the trefoil knot and the figure-eight knot."

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 988c78eb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 988c78eb
Former First Lady of the United States Eleanor Roosevelt and Indian activist and educator Hansa Mehta were
instrumental in drafting the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document that ______ the basic
freedoms to which all people are entitled.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. have outlined

B. were outlining

C. outlines

D. outline

ID: 988c78eb Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb “outlines” agrees
in number with the singular subject “document.”

Choice A is incorrect because the plural verb “have outlined” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject
“document.” Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb “were outlining” doesn’t agree in number with the singular
subject “document.” Choice D is incorrect because the plural verb “outline” doesn’t agree in number with the singular
subject “document.”

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 97e7bedc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 97e7bedc
Oyster mushrooms typically get their nutrients from the damp logs on which they grow, but the fungi are also
carnivorous, with the ability to kill and consume microscopic worms known as nematodes. As researcher Yen-Ping
Hsueh has shown, the mushrooms release a toxin that is deadly to nematodes that ______ in contact with it.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. has come

B. comes

C. is coming

D. come

ID: 97e7bedc Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The plural verb "come" agrees in
number with the plural subject "nematodes."

Choice A is incorrect because the singular verb "has come" doesn’t agree in number with the plural subject "nematodes."
Choice B is incorrect because the singular verb "comes" doesn’t agree in number with the plural subject "nematodes."
Choice C is incorrect because the singular verb "is coming" doesn’t agree in number with the plural subject "nematodes."

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID bce9910f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: bce9910f
Light of Truth is a bronze and marble sculpture by artist Richard Hunt. It honors civil rights icon Ida B. Wells. The
sculpture ______ in a tree-lined plaza in Chicago, just a few blocks from where Wells lived.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. are standing

B. have been standing

C. stands

D. were standing

ID: bce9910f Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb "stands" agrees in
number with the singular subject "sculpture."

Choice A is incorrect because the plural verb "are standing" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "sculpture."
Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb "have been standing" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject
"sculpture." Choice D is incorrect because the plural verb "were standing" doesn’t agree in number with the singular
subject "sculpture."

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 175df826
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 175df826
In the 2011 documentary The Barber of Birmingham, civil rights activist James Armstrong recounts how his barbershop
in Birmingham, Alabama, ______ as a political hub for members of the Black community during the 1950s.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. serving

B. having served

C. served

D. to serve

ID: 175df826 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verb forms within a sentence. Relative clauses,
such as the one beginning with "how," require a finite (tensed) verb, a verb that can function as the main verb of a clause.
This choice correctly supplies the clause with the finite past tense verb "served."

Choice A is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The nonfinite participle "serving" doesn’t supply
the clause with a finite verb. Choice B is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The nonfinite
participle "having served" doesn’t supply the clause with a finite verb. Choice D is incorrect because it results in an
ungrammatical sentence. The nonfinite to-infinitive "to serve" doesn’t supply the clause with a finite verb.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 5ad2a12c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 5ad2a12c
The First Folio, published in 1623, is the first collection of William Shakespeare’s plays. The collection ______ 18 plays that
might otherwise have been lost, such as Julius Caesar and Macbeth.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. to be including

B. including

C. to include

D. includes

ID: 5ad2a12c Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verb forms within a sentence. A main clause
requires a finite (tensed) verb to perform the action of the subject (in this case, "the collection"), and this choice supplies
the finite present tense verb "includes" to indicate what is in the collection.

Choice A is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The nonfinite to-infinitive "to be including" doesn’t
supply the main clause with a finite verb. Choice B is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The
nonfinite participle "including" doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb. Choice C is incorrect because it results in
an ungrammatical sentence. The nonfinite to-infinitive "to include" doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID e2759b92
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: e2759b92
Occupying a significant part of modern-day Nigeria, the Kingdom of Benin was one of the major powers in West Africa
between the thirteenth and nineteenth centuries. It ______ ruled by Oba Ewuare I from 1440 to 1473.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. is

B. will be

C. has been

D. was

ID: e2759b92 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense in a sentence. In this
choice, the past tense verb “was ruled” correctly indicates that Oba Ewuare I ruled the Kingdom of Benin in the distant
past (from 1440 to 1473). This past tense verb choice is consistent with the other past tense verb (“was”) used to
describe the Kingdom of Benin.

Choice A is incorrect because the present tense verb “is ruled” doesn’t indicate that Oba Ewuare I ruled the Kingdom of
Benin in the distant past. Choice B is incorrect because the future tense verb “will be ruled” doesn’t indicate that Oba
Ewuare I ruled the Kingdom of Benin in the distant past. Choice C is incorrect because the present perfect tense verb
“has been ruled” doesn’t indicate that Oba Ewuare I ruled the Kingdom of Benin in the distant past.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID c5d39bc7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: c5d39bc7
Scientists believe that, unlike most other species of barnacle, turtle barnacles (Chelonibia testudinari) can dissolve the
cement-like secretions they use to attach ______ to a sea turtle shell, enabling the barnacles to move short distances
across the shell’s surface.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. it

B. themselves

C. them

D. itself

ID: c5d39bc7 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is pronoun-antecedent agreement. The plural reflexive pronoun
“themselves” agrees in number with the plural antecedent “turtle barnacles,” correctly indicating what is attached to a sea
turtle shell.

Choice A is incorrect because the singular pronoun “it” doesn’t agree in number with the plural antecedent “turtle
barnacles.” Choice C is incorrect because it results in an unclear and confusing sentence. In this context, it’s unclear what
the plural pronoun “them” refers to. Choice D is incorrect because the singular reflexive pronoun “itself” doesn’t agree in
number with the plural antecedent “turtle barnacles.”

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID fff4c7f4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: fff4c7f4
American poet Emily Dickinson wrote many of her poems on scraps of paper, but she also took steps to collect these
works. From 1858 to around 1864, for example, she copied more than 800 of ______ into forty homemade booklets
(known as fascicles).

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. them

B. this

C. that

D. it

ID: fff4c7f4 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The pronoun "them" agrees with the plural antecedents "poems" and "works."

Choice B is incorrect. "This" is a singular pronoun, but its antecedents, "poems" and "works," are plural. Choice C is
incorrect. "That" is a singular pronoun, but its antecedents, "poems" and "works," are plural. Choice D is incorrect. "It" is a
singular pronoun, but its antecedents, "poems" and "works," are plural.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID c88ba1b7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: c88ba1b7
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, automobiles were commonly referred to as horseless carriages after
the older technology they still resembled. Known as the Brass Era, this period in automotive design is remembered for its
grandeur and artistry, its vehicles ______ by collectors for their ornate detailing and gleaming brass fittings.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. are highly prized

B. had been highly prized

C. highly prized

D. were highly prized

ID: c88ba1b7 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verb forms in a sentence. The nonfinite past
participle phrase "highly prized" is correctly used to form a supplementary element that modifies the main clause "this…
artistry," describing memorable features of Brass Era automotive design.

Choice A is incorrect because it results in a comma splice. Using the finite present tense verb phrase "are highly prized"
creates a second main clause in the sentence, and two main clauses can’t be joined in this way with only a comma after
"artistry." Choice B is incorrect because it results in a comma splice. Using the finite past perfect tense verb phrase "had
been highly prized" creates a second main clause in the sentence, and two main clauses can’t be joined in this way with
only a comma after "artistry." Choice D is incorrect because it results in a comma splice. Using the finite past tense verb
phrase "were highly prized" creates a second main clause in the sentence, and two main clauses can’t be joined in this
way with only a comma after "artistry."

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 75f49353
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 75f49353
The Progressive Era in the United States witnessed the rise of numerous Black women’s clubs, local organizations that
advocated for racial and gender equality. Among the clubs’ leaders ______ Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, founder of the
Women’s Era Club of Boston.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. was

B. were

C. are

D. have been

ID: 75f49353 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested here is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb “was” agrees
in number with the singular subject “Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin.”

Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb “were” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “Josephine St.
Pierre Ruffin.” Choice C is incorrect because the plural verb “are” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject
“Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin.” Choice D is incorrect because the plural verb “have been” doesn’t agree in number with the
singular subject “Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin.”

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 61160f0a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 61160f0a
Author Madeline L’Engle, ______ to create a suspenseful tone that draws the reader in, begins her novel A Wrinkle in Time
with descriptions of “wraithlike shadows” and “the frenzied lashing of the wind.”

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. looked

B. looks

C. is looking

D. looking

ID: 61160f0a Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verb forms within a sentence. The nonfinite
present participle verb “looking” is correctly used to form a subordinate clause that describes the intent behind how
L’Engle begins her novel.

Choice A is incorrect because the finite past tense verb “looked” can’t be used in this way to form a subordinate clause.
Choice B is incorrect because the finite present tense verb “looks” can’t be used in this way to form a subordinate clause.
Choice C is incorrect because the finite present progressive tense verb “is looking” can’t be used in this way to form a
subordinate clause.

Question Difficulty: Hard