Bluebook SAT Test Form, Structure, and Sense 9 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The collection of rare paintings _______ recently acquired by the city museum through a generous private donation.
- was (Correct answer)
- were
- have been
- are being
Correct answer: was
The subject 'collection' is singular, so it requires the singular verb 'was.'
Question 2: The new transit system, which connects several suburban neighborhoods to the downtown business district, _______ expected to reduce traffic congestion significantly.
- are
- is (Correct answer)
- were
- have been
Correct answer: is
The subject 'system' is singular; the relative clause ('which connects…') is a modifier that does not affect subject-verb agreement.
Question 3: The council voted to rebuild the old library, restore the historic fountain, and _______ new sidewalks throughout the district.
- the installation of
- installing
- to install
- install (Correct answer)
Correct answer: install
Parallel structure requires matching the form of the series: 'to rebuild,' 'to restore,' and 'to install' — however, in a list after 'voted to,' the bare infinitive 'install' (without 'to') is correct for parallelism.
Question 4: Exhausted after the long journey, _______ finally reached the mountain summit just before sunset.
- the team of climbers (Correct answer)
- the climbers' effort
- it was the team
- the summit was
Correct answer: the team of climbers
The participial phrase 'Exhausted after the long journey' must modify the subject of the main clause; the team of climbers is the logical doer, not the summit or an effort.
Question 5: The city council will present _______ annual budget proposal at the public meeting on Thursday.
- its (Correct answer)
- their
- it's
- its'
Correct answer: its
'City council' is a singular collective noun; the possessive pronoun 'its' (no apostrophe) is correct.
Question 6: By the time the rescue team arrives at the crash site, the survivors _______ in the shelter for over twelve hours.
- waited
- have waited
- will have been waiting (Correct answer)
- are waiting
Correct answer: will have been waiting
The future perfect continuous 'will have been waiting' correctly expresses an ongoing action that will be completed by a future point in time.
Question 7: The scholarship committee will award the prize to whoever _______ the most innovative solution to the design challenge.
- submits (Correct answer)
- submit
- will submit
- submitting
Correct answer: submits
The clause 'whoever submits' acts as the subject in a noun clause; 'whoever' takes a third-person singular verb, so 'submits' is correct.
Bluebook SAT Test Form, Structure, and Sense 9
The collection of rare paintings _______ recently acquired by the city museum through a generous private donation.