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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 8d53e7a0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: 8d53e7a0
Slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo’s debut novel The Poet X, winner of the 2018 National Book Award for Young People’s
Literature, is composed of ______ protagonist, fifteen-year-old Xiomara Batista.

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

A. poems putatively written by the novel’s

B. poem’s putatively written by the novel’s

C. poem’s putatively written by the novels’

D. poems putatively written by the novels’

ID: 8d53e7a0 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is the best answer. Nothing belongs to the “poems” in the sentence, so it should not be possessive—just
a simple plural noun. The protagonist does belong to the novel—it’s the protagonist of the novel—so “novel” needs
to be a singular possessive noun.

Choice B is incorrect. This doesn’t complete the text in a way that conforms to the conventions of Standard
English. This choice uses the singular possessive “poem’s,” but the text indicates that it should be the simple
plural “poems”: there is more than one poem, and nothing belongs to the poems. Choice C is incorrect. This
doesn’t complete the text in a way that conforms to the conventions of Standard English. This choice uses the
singular possessive “poem’s,” but the text indicates that it should be the simple plural “poems”: there is more
than one poem, and nothing belongs to the poems. This choice also uses the plural possessive “novels’,” which is
incorrect because there is only one novel. Choice D is incorrect. This doesn’t complete the text in a way that
conforms to the conventions of Standard English. This choice uses the plural possessive “novels’,” which is
incorrect because there is only one novel, so it should be the singular possessive “novel’s.” .

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 b85c19ed
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Standard English Form, Structure,

Conventions and Sense

ID: b85c19ed
The violins handmade in the seventeeth 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 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 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 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 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