Form, Structure, and Sense Flashcards

Each of the engineers on the project team _______ responsible for reviewing a specific section of the technical report.

Answer: is

'Each' is always singular, regardless of the prepositional phrase that follows; 'is' is the correct singular verb.

The director informed the cast that rehearsals _______ moved to the main stage beginning next week.

Answer: would be

In reported speech introduced by a past-tense verb ('informed'), the subordinate clause shifts to past tense: 'would be.'

Frustrated by the lack of progress, _______ submitted a formal complaint to the department manager.

Answer: the employees

The participial phrase 'Frustrated by the lack of progress' must be followed by the subject performing the action — 'the employees' are the ones who are frustrated and who submit the complaint.

The student asked _______ professor for an extension on the research paper due to a family emergency.

Answer: their

On the SAT, 'their' is accepted as a singular gender-neutral possessive pronoun and is the preferred modern usage.

The foundation's goals include building new schools, training local teachers, and _______ educational resources to underserved communities.

Answer: providing

The list uses gerunds ('building,' 'training'); parallel structure requires the gerund 'providing' as the third item.

The delegation of diplomats, along with their advisors, _______ arrived at the summit venue ahead of schedule.

Answer: has

The subject 'delegation' is singular; 'along with their advisors' is a parenthetical phrase that does not change agreement, so 'has' is correct.

The scientist's hypothesis, which challenged decades of established research, _______ initially dismissed by the academic community.

Answer: was

The subject 'hypothesis' is singular; the relative clause is a modifier, so the singular past tense 'was' is correct.