Bluebook SAT Test Form, Structure, and Sense 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The committee of five members _______ meeting every Tuesday to review the proposals.
- are
- is (Correct answer)
- were
- have been
Correct answer: is
'Committee' is a collective noun treated as singular in American English, so it takes the singular verb 'is.'
Question 2: By the time the investigators arrived, the suspect _______ the building.
- leaves
- left
- had left (Correct answer)
- was leaving
Correct answer: had left
'Had left' (past perfect) is correct because the suspect's departure occurred before the investigators' arrival—an earlier past action.
Question 3: Each of the students in the advanced class _______ required to submit an original research paper.
- are
- is (Correct answer)
- were
- have been
Correct answer: is
'Each' is an indefinite pronoun that is always singular, so it takes the singular verb 'is.'
Question 4: The report noted that neither the manager nor the employees _______ aware of the policy change.
- was
- were (Correct answer)
- is
- has been
Correct answer: were
With 'neither…nor,' the verb agrees with the nearer subject; 'employees' is plural, so 'were' is correct.
Question 5: Serena handed the invitation to both Marcus and _______.
- she
- her
- they
- them (Correct answer)
Correct answer: them
After a preposition ('to'), object pronouns are required; 'Marcus and them' uses the correct object-case pronoun.
Question 6: The athlete who wins the most medals _______ recognized at the closing ceremony.
- are
- is (Correct answer)
- were
- have been
Correct answer: is
The subject 'athlete' is singular, so the singular verb 'is' is correct; the relative clause 'who wins the most medals' does not change the subject.
Question 7: Running along the coastal path, _______ spotted a family of dolphins in the water.
- a pod of seabirds were
- the hiker (Correct answer)
- the trail
- dolphins were
Correct answer: the hiker
'The hiker' is the only option that correctly makes the participial phrase 'running along the coastal path' refer to a person capable of running and spotting.
Bluebook SAT Test Form, Structure, and Sense 1
The committee of five members _______ meeting every Tuesday to review the proposals.