betterMateusz/SAT_Writting_Reading_Assessment_Question_Bank huggingface dataset:
In 2000, Nora de Hoyos Comstock, herself an owner of a successful consulting ﬁrm, sought to increase Latina
representation in corporate ______ founded Las Comadres para las Americas, an international community that for over two
decades has served as a resource and information network for Latina business professionals.

Question: Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) settings she
B) settings, she
C) settings and she
D) settings. She

Answer: D

Rationale: Choice D is the best answer. It appropriately uses a period to mark the end of one independent clause ("In 2000…settings")
and the start of another ("She founded…professionals").
Choice A is incorrect. This choice results in a run-on sentence error. Both the clause before the blank ("In 2000…settings")
and the clause after the blank ("she…professionals") are independent clauses, so they need to be separated by punctuation.
Choice B is incorrect. This choice results in a comma splice error. It incorrectly joins two independent clauses with just a
comma. Linking two independent clauses with a comma also requires the use of a coordinating conjunction (like for, and,
nor, but, or, yet, or so). Choice C is incorrect. This choice results in a run-on sentence, an error caused when two independent
clauses are joined without punctuation or appropriate conjunctions. Since both the clause before the blank ("In 2000…
settings") and the clause after the blank ("she…professionals") are independent, a comma would be required in addition to
the coordinating conjunction "and."

Difficulty: Easy | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
The 1967 release of Harold Cruse’s book The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual isolated him from almost all other scholars and
activists of the American Civil Rights Movement—though many of those thinkers disagreed with each other, he nonetheless
found ways to disagree with them all. He thought that activists who believed that Black people such as himself should
culturally assimilate were naïve. But he also sharply criticized Black nationalists such as Marcus Garvey who wanted to
establish independent, self-contained Black economies and societies, even though Cruse himself identiﬁed as a Black
nationalist.

Question: Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?
A) It describes a direction that Cruse felt the Civil Rights Movement ought to take.
B) It indicates that Cruse’s reputation as a persistent antagonist of other scholars is undeserved.
C) It describes a controversy that Cruse’s work caused within the Black nationalist movement.
D) It helps explain Cruse’s position with respect to the community of civil rights thinkers.

Answer: D

Rationale: Choice D is the best answer. The text as a whole claims that Cruse disagreed with virtually all other Civil Rights scholars and
activists. The underlined sentence describes one way that Cruse both did and didn’t ﬁt in with those thinkers: he criticized
Black nationalists, even though he identiﬁed as one.
Choice A is incorrect. The underlined sentence doesn’t do this. It describes Cruse’s criticisms—it never mentions what Cruse
did want the movement to do instead. Choice B is incorrect. This conﬂicts with the text, which argues that Cruse did disagree
with almost all other scholars of the Civil Rights Movement. Choice C is incorrect. This is a step too far. The text never says
that Cruse’s work caused controversy within the Black nationalist movement.

Difficulty: Hard | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
The following text is adapted from Gwendolyn Bennett’s 1926 poem “Street Lamps in Early Spring.”
Night wears a garment
All velvet soft, all violet blue... 
And over her face she draws a veil
As shimmering ﬁne as ﬂoating dew... 
And here and there
In the black of her hair
The subtle hands of Night
Move slowly with their gem-starred light.

Question: Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
A) It presents alternating descriptions of night in a rural area and in a city.
B) It sketches an image of nightfall, then an image of sunrise.
C) It makes an extended comparison of night to a human being.
D) It portrays how night changes from one season of the year to the next.

Answer: C

Rationale: Choice C is the best answer because it most accurately describes the overall structure of the text. Throughout the text, the
speaker characterizes nighttime as if it were a person who wears clothing (“a garment” that is “velvet soft” and “violet blue”)
and a veil “over her face” and who moves her hands “slowly with their gem-starred light” through her dark hair. Thus, the text
is structured as an extended comparison of night to a human being.
Choice A is incorrect because the text never mentions any particular location; instead, it focuses on presenting a single
description of night as a person with certain clothing and features. Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t make any
reference to the sun or sunrise; instead, it focuses on presenting a single image of night as a person with certain clothing
and features. Choice D is incorrect. Rather than describing how nighttime changes seasonally (or in any other way), the text
presents a single image of night as a person with certain clothing and features.

Difficulty: Medium | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
In the Indigenous intercropping system known as the Three Sisters, maize, squash, and beans form an ______ web of
relations: maize provides the structure on which the bean vines grow; the squash vines cover the soil, discouraging
competition from weeds; and the beans aid their two “sisters” by enriching the soil with essential nitrogen.

Question: Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) indecipherable
B) ornamental
C) obscure
D) intricate

Answer: D

Rationale: Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the Three Sisters intercropping
system. As used in this context, “intricate” would mean made up of complexly related elements. The text indicates that in the
Three Sisters system, maize, squash, and beans form a “web of relations” in which the crops interact in various ways. The
text’s description of these interactions—the bean vines growing on the maize stalks, the squash vines keeping weeds away,
and the beans adding nutrients that the maize and squash use—provides context suggesting that this “web of relations” is
intricate.
Choice A is incorrect because describing the relationship among the crops in the Three Sisters system as “indecipherable,”
or impossible to comprehend, would not make sense in context. Although the text presents the relationship as complex, the
text’s description of the role that each crop plays makes it clear that the relationship is well understood, not
indecipherable. Choice B is incorrect because the text discusses the practical beneﬁts that each plant in the Three Sisters
system provides to other members of the system, showing that the relationship among the crops that make up the system is
not “ornamental,” or mainly serving a decorative purpose. Choice C is incorrect because describing the relationship among
the crops in the Three Sisters system as “obscure,” or unknown or poorly understood, would not make sense in context.
Although the text presents the relationship as complex, the text’s description of the role that each crop plays makes it clear
that the relationship is well understood, not obscure.

Difficulty: Medium | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
The güiro, a musical instrument traditionally made from a dried and hollowed gourd, is thought to have originated with the
Taíno people of Puerto Rico. Players use a wooden stick to scrape along ridges cut into the side of the gourd, creating
sounds that are highly ______: the sounds produced by güiros can differ based on the distance between the ridges, the types
of strokes the player uses, and the thickness of the gourd.

Question: Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) overlooked
B) powerful
C) routine
D) variable

Answer: D

Rationale: Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the sounds made by güiros. In this
context, “variable” means able to change. The text begins by explaining that güiros are instruments made out of hollowed
gourds with ridges cut into their sides and that players scrape the ridges with wooden sticks to produce sounds. The text
goes on to say that güiros’ sounds can change depending on gourd thickness, the distance between ridges, and the types of
strokes the player uses, thus supporting the idea that the sounds created by these instruments are variable.
Choice A is incorrect because “overlooked” means not being seen or noticed, and there is nothing in the text to suggest that
the sounds produced by güiros are overlooked or not noticed. Choice B is incorrect because in this context, “powerful” would
mean having a great ability to produce an effect. While it’s possible that the sounds produced by güiros have a strong effect
on listeners, the text doesn’t discuss this aspect of their sounds. Choice C is incorrect because “routine” means usual and
unvarying, and there is nothing in the text to suggest that the sounds produced by güiros are unvarying. In fact, the text
describes how the sounds produced by güiros can differ based on several factors.

Difficulty: Hard | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
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.

Question: 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

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."

Difficulty: Hard | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
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.

Question: 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

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.

Difficulty: Medium | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
Nigerian author Buchi Emecheta’s celebrated literary oeuvre includes The Joys of Motherhood, a novel about the changing
roles of women in 1950s ______ a television play about the private struggles of a newlywed couple in Nigeria; and Head
Above Water, her autobiography.

Question: Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) Lagos, A Kind of Marriage,
B) Lagos; A Kind of Marriage,
C) Lagos, A Kind of Marriage:
D) Lagos; A Kind of Marriage

Answer: B

Rationale: Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is the punctuation of items in a complex series (a series including
internal punctuation). In this choice, the semicolon after “Lagos” is conventionally used to separate the ﬁrst item (“The Joys…
Lagos”) and the second item (“A Kind…Nigeria”) in the series. Further, the comma after “Marriage” correctly separates the
title “A Kind of Marriage” from the supplementary phrase (“a television…Nigeria”) that describes it.
Choice A is incorrect because the comma after “Lagos” doesn’t match the semicolon used later in the series to separate the
second item (“A Kind…Nigeria”) from the third item (“and…autobiography”). Choice C is incorrect because the comma after
“Lagos” doesn’t match the semicolon used later in the series to separate the second item (“A Kind…Nigeria”) from the third
item (“and…autobiography”). Additionally, a colon can’t be used in this way to separate the title “A Kind of Marriage” from the
supplementary phrase (“a television…Nigeria”) that describes it. Choice D is incorrect because it fails to use appropriate
punctuation to separate the title “A Kind of Marriage” from the supplementary phrase (“a television…Nigeria”) that describes
it.

Difficulty: Hard | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
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.

Question: 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

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."

Difficulty: Easy | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
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.

Question: 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

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.

Difficulty: Easy | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
A journalist and well-respected art critic of nineteenth-century Britain, Lady Elizabeth Rigby Eastlake did not hesitate to
publish reviews that went against popular opinion. One of her most divisive works was an essay questioning the idea of
photography as an emerging medium for ﬁne art: in the essay, Eastlake ______ that the value of photographs was
informational rather than creative.

Question: Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) exposed
B) asserted
C) discovered
D) doubted

Answer: B

Rationale: Choice B is the best answer. "Asserted" means "stated conﬁdently." Eastlake "did not hesitate to publish reviews going
against popular opinion," so we can assume that she was conﬁdent in sharing her opinions.
Choice A is incorrect. "Exposed" means "made visible by uncovering" and, when talking about ideas, tends to be used in
relation to uncovering the truth. Eastlake was sharing an opinion, not uncovering a truth. Choice C is incorrect. "Discovered"
means "found," but Eastlake was writing an opinion essay. She was writing her own opinion, not "discovering" a new universal
truth. Choice D is incorrect. "Doubted" means "didn’t believe in." We’re told that Eastlake "questioned" the idea that
photography could be ﬁne art. Placing "doubted" in the blank would actually suggest that Eastlake argued that photos were
valuable for creativity and not for information, which is the opposite of what we were told she believes.

Difficulty: Medium | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
Although science ﬁction was dominated mostly by white male authors when Octavia Butler, a Black woman, began writing,
she did not view the genre as ______: Butler broke into the ﬁeld with the publication of several short stories and her 1976
novel Patternmaster, and she later became the ﬁrst science ﬁction writer to win a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship.

Question: Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) legitimate
B) impenetrable
C) compelling
D) indecipherable

Answer: B

Rationale: Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the discussion of Octavia Butler’s career. In this context,
“impenetrable” means impossible to enter. The text indicates that the ﬁeld of science ﬁction was dominated by white males
when Butler, a Black woman, started writing, but she published several science ﬁction short stories and a novel and later won
a prestigious award; that is, Butler pursued science ﬁction writing and had success. This context suggests that Butler didn’t
view the genre as impossible to enter.
Choice A is incorrect. In this context, “legitimate” would mean genuinely good or valid. Nothing in the text suggests that
Butler didn’t think the science ﬁction genre was good or valid; in fact, it indicates that she pursued and made a successful
career of publishing work in that ﬁeld. Choice C is incorrect. In this context, “compelling” would mean attracting or
demanding attention. The text indicates that Butler chose to write science ﬁction, so it wouldn’t make sense to say that she
didn’t see the ﬁeld as drawing her attention. Choice D is incorrect. To say that Butler didn’t consider science ﬁction
“indecipherable,” or impossible to understand, would suggest that Butler did understand it. However, the text doesn’t address
Butler’s ability to interpret works in the genre; rather, it focuses on Butler’s successful pursuit of writing science ﬁction.

Difficulty: Medium | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
Santa Clara Pueblo artist Roxanne Swentzell’s sculpture Mud Woman Rolls On consists of ﬁve human ﬁgures made of clay
and plant ﬁber and arranged in descending size; each ﬁgure holds the smaller one in front of it. The arrangement of the
ﬁgures, according to ______ represents her idea that “we all come from the Earth, generation after generation.”

Question: Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) Swentzell
B) Swentzell,
C) Swentzell:
D) Swentzell—

Answer: B

Rationale: Choice B is the best answer. The phrase “according to Swentzell” is an aside that interrupts the ﬂow of the sentence, so it
needs to be separated from the sentence with a pair of matching punctuation marks: two commas, two dashes, or a pair of
parentheses. We already have a comma before “according,” so we must add a comma after “Swentzell.” .
Choice A is incorrect. This choice creates a punctuation error. The phrase “according to Swentzell” is an aside that interrupts
the ﬂow of the sentence, so it needs to be separated from the sentence with a pair of matching punctuation marks: one
before and one after the phrase. Choice C is incorrect. This choice creates a punctuation error. “The arrangement of the
ﬁgures, according to Swentzell” is not an independent clause, so it can’t come before a colon. Choice D is incorrect. This
choice creates a punctuation error. The phrase “according to Swentzell” is an aside that interrupts the ﬂow of the sentence,
so it needs to be separated from the sentence with a pair of matching punctuation marks. We already have a comma at the
beginning, so we have to use another comma here to match. We can’t just switch to a dash! .

Difficulty: Medium | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
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.

Question: 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

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.

Difficulty: Medium | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
Some people have speculated that two helmets with attached horns discovered in Denmark in 1942 belonged to Vikings, but
scholars have long been skeptical. Archaeologist Helle Vandkilde and colleagues recently provided radiocarbon dates for the
helmets, and their ﬁndings ______ scholars’ skepticism: the helmets date to the Nordic Bronze Age, centuries before the
Vikings existed.

Question: Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) anticipate
B) inspect
C) reveal
D) justify

Answer: D

Rationale: Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the helmets found in Denmark. In
this context, “justify” means conﬁrm or give reasons for. The text indicates that scholars have long been skeptical about the
supposed Viking origin of two helmets found in Denmark. The radiocarbon dating of the helmets conducted by Vandkilde
and colleagues demonstrates that the helmets date from the Nordic Bronze Age, making the helmets too old to have
belonged to Vikings. This context supports the idea that the scholars’ skepticism is justiﬁed.
Choice A is incorrect because “anticipate” means expect or come before, neither of which would make sense in context. The
text indicates that scholars have long been skeptical of the idea that the helmets belonged to Vikings. Because the
skepticism has existed for a long time, Vandkilde and colleagues’ research couldn’t be said to anticipate it. Instead, the
radiocarbon dating results justify or conﬁrm the scholar’s skepticism. Choice B is incorrect because “inspect” means
examine or review, which wouldn’t make sense in this context. Research ﬁndings are inanimate and therefore unable to
inspect scholars’ skepticism. The text focuses on the origin of two helmets, which some people believe belonged to Vikings.
Vandkilde and colleagues found that the helmets are from the Nordic Bronze Age and therefore much older than the Vikings.
This context suggests that the researchers’ ﬁndings justify, not inspect, the scholars’ skepticism. Choice C is incorrect
because “reveal” means uncover or report, which wouldn’t make sense in context. The text focuses on the origin of two
helmets, which some people believe belonged to Vikings. Vandkilde and colleagues tested the helmets and found that they
date to the Nordic Bronze Age and therefore are much older than the Vikings. This context suggests that the researchers’
ﬁndings conﬁrm or justify the scholars’ skepticism, which was already known so didn’t need to be revealed.

Difficulty: Easy | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
Some bird species don’t raise their own chicks. Instead, adult females lay their eggs in other nests, next to another bird
species’ own eggs. Female cuckoos have been seen quickly laying eggs in the nests of other bird species when those birds
are out looking for food. After the eggs hatch, the noncuckoo parents will typically raise the cuckoo chicks as if they were
their own offspring, even if the cuckoos look very different from the other chicks.

Question: Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?
A) It introduces a physical feature of female cuckoos that is described later in the text.
B) It describes the appearance of the cuckoo nests mentioned earlier in the text.
C) It offers a detail about how female cuckoos carry out the behavior discussed in the text.
D) It explains how other birds react to the female cuckoo behavior discussed in the text.

Answer: C

Rationale: Choice C is the best answer because it best describes how the underlined sentence functions in the text as a whole. The ﬁrst
two sentences establish that birds of some species don’t raise their own young; instead, they lay their eggs in the nests of
birds of other species. The underlined sentence then states that female cuckoo birds engage in this behavior, having been
observed speciﬁcally laying their eggs in other nests while the other birds are out ﬁnding food. According to the text, the
cuckoo chicks are then raised by the other birds. Thus, the underlined sentence provides a particular detail about how female
cuckoos carry out the behavior of laying eggs for other birds to raise.
Choice A is incorrect. Rather than mentioning a physical feature of female cuckoos, the underlined sentence introduces a
speciﬁc behavior of female cuckoos: laying eggs in the nests of birds of other species when the other birds are away. The
only reference to physical features is the last sentence’s general mention of cuckoo chicks looking different from chicks of
other species. Choice B is incorrect because the underlined sentence refers to the nests of birds other than cuckoos and
doesn’t describe how any nests look, cuckoo or otherwise. Instead, the sentence addresses how female cuckoos use other
birds’ nests. Choice D is incorrect because the underlined sentence describes only female cuckoo behavior (laying eggs in
the nests of birds of other species when the other birds are away); it’s the last sentence of the text that addresses the other
birds’ reaction, indicating that those birds usually raise the cuckoo chicks once they’ve hatched.

Difficulty: Easy | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
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.

Question: Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) included
B) includes
C) including
D) will include

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."

Difficulty: Easy | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
The ﬁeld of geological oceanography owes much to American ______ Marie Tharp, a pioneering oceanographic cartographer
whose detailed topographical maps of the ocean ﬂoor and its multiple rift valleys helped garner acceptance for the theories
of plate tectonics and continental drift.

Question: Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) geologist,
B) geologist
C) geologist;
D) geologist:

Answer: B

Rationale: Choice B is the best answer. “Marie tharp” is essential information that completes the ﬁrst clause — the ﬁrst clause doesn’t
function without it. So we don’t want to separate it with punctuation. 
Choice A is incorrect. This choice creates a punctuation error. “The ﬁeld of geological oceanography owes much to
American geologist” is unclear: which geologist are we talking about? We need the “Marie Tharp” for clarity, which means it’s
essential information and should not be separated by a comma. Choice C is incorrect. This choice creates a punctuation
error. “The ﬁeld of geological oceanography owes much to American geologist” is unclear: which geologist are we talking
about? We need the “Marie Tharp” for clarity, which means it’s essential information and should not be separated by a
semicolon. Choice D is incorrect. This choice creates a punctuation error. “The ﬁeld of geological oceanography owes much
to American geologist” is unclear: which geologist are we talking about? We need the “Marie Tharp” for clarity, which means
it’s essential information and should not be separated by a colon.

Difficulty: Hard | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
Bicycle sharing systems allow users to rent a bicycle at one location within a city and return it to any other designated
location in that city, which can cause serious problems of bicycle supply and user demand within the city’s system. Tohru
Ikeguchi uses open-source data and statistical modeling to identify when a high number of users making one-way trips is
likely to leave some locations within the system ______ bicycles and other areas with insuﬃcient supply.

Question: Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) susceptible to
B) contingent on
C) saturated with
D) depleted of

Answer: C

Rationale: Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Ikeguchi’s model of bicycle supply.
In this context, “saturated with” means thoroughly or completely supplied with. The text explains a problem encountered by
some bicycle-sharing programs: users can return bicycles to different locations than where the users picked up the bicycles
to start, which can result in a mismatch between bicycle supply (that is, where the bicycles are currently located) and user
demand (that is, the locations where users are hoping to pick up bicycles). The text goes on to explain that Ikeguchi
developed a way to identify when this mismatch is likely to occur. This context suggests that Ikeguchi’s method will show
when it is likely that some locations have an insuﬃcient supply and other locations, by implicit contrast, are saturated with
bicycles. 
Choice A is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that some locations are “susceptible to,” or sensitive to or easily
inﬂuenced by, bicycles. The text describes the phenomenon of bicycles being redistributed away from locations where users
want them, not anything about those locations being inﬂuenced by the bicycles. Choice B is incorrect because the text
describes situations in which some locations have an insuﬃcient supply of bicycles because the bicycles have been
relocated elsewhere, which suggests that the other locations have many bicycles, not that the other locations are “contingent
on,” or dependent on, the bicycles. Nothing in the text suggests that the locations themselves depend on the bicycles for
anything. Choice D is incorrect because it would not make sense in context to say that some locations are “depleted of,” or
empty of, bicycles while others have an insuﬃcient supply. The text describes situations in which bicycles have been
relocated such that there is a mismatch between bicycle supply and user demand—the bicycles are no longer at the
locations where users want to pick them up. This means that some locations do not have enough bicycles, while other
locations must have many bicycles, not be depleted of bicycles.

Difficulty: Medium | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
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.

Question: 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

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."

Difficulty: Easy | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
At eight paragraphs long, the preamble to the constitution of ______ country in Western Asia—is much longer than the one-
paragraph preamble to the United States Constitution.

Question: Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) Bahrain—a
B) Bahrain, a
C) Bahrain a
D) Bahrain: a

Answer: A

Rationale: Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the punctuation of a supplementary element within a sentence.
The dash after “Bahrain” pairs with the dash after “Asia” to separate the supplementary element “a country in Western Asia”
from the rest of the sentence. 
Choice B is incorrect because a comma can’t be paired with a dash in this way to separate the supplementary element from
the rest of the sentence. Choice C is incorrect because it fails to use appropriate punctuation to separate the supplementary
element from the rest of the sentence. Choice D is incorrect because a colon can’t be paired with a dash in this way to
separate the supplementary element from the rest of the sentence.

Difficulty: Easy | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
The following text is from Sarah Orne Jewett’s 1899 short story “Martha’s Lady.” Martha is employed by Miss Pyne as a
maid.
Miss Pyne sat by the window watching, in her best dress, looking stately and calm; she seldom went out now, and it was
almost time for the carriage. Martha was just coming in from the garden with the strawberries, and with more ﬂowers in
her apron. It was a bright cool evening in June, the golden robins sang in the elms, and the sun was going down behind the
apple-trees at the foot of the garden. The beautiful old house stood wide open to the long-expected guest.

Question: Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
A) To convey the worries brought about by a new guest
B) To describe how the characters have changed over time
C) To contrast the activity indoors with the stillness outside
D) To depict the setting as the characters await a visitor’s arrival

Answer: D

Rationale: Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately reﬂects the main purpose of the text. The text portrays Miss Pyne as
awaiting the arrival of a carriage while Martha brings strawberries and ﬂowers from the garden into the house. The text also
describes the surroundings of the scene, stating that Miss Pyne looks “stately and calm,” the evening is bright and cool, and
birds are singing in the garden as the sun sets. Then the last sentence states that the house was “wide open to the long-
expected guest,” which strongly suggests that Miss Pyne’s anticipation and Martha’s activities were in preparation for the
guest who is expected to arrive in the carriage. Thus, the text depicts the setting and conveys what these characters are
doing as they await the arrival of their visitor.
Choice A is incorrect because there is nothing in the text to indicate that the characters feel any worry about the guest’s
arrival. The text indicates that the guest was “long-expected,“ but characterizing Miss Pyne as “stately and calm” conﬂicts
with the idea that the characters are worried about the guest. Choice B is incorrect because the text describes a moment in
time when two characters are awaiting the arrival of a visitor rather than an extended period over which characters could be
seen changing. Choice C is incorrect. Although the text describes the activity indoors (Miss Pyne sitting calmly), it describes
a higher level of activity, not stillness, outside (Martha bringing fruit and ﬂowers and birds singing).

Difficulty: Medium | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
The printing of Virginia Woolf’s novels featured a creative ______ between Woolf and her sister Vanessa Bell: a talented
painter, Bell worked closely with Woolf to create original cover art for most of the novels.

Question: Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) rebellion
B) partnership
C) discovery
D) disagreement

Answer: B

Rationale: Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the cover art of Virginia Woolf’s
novels. In this context, “partnership” means collaboration or joint effort. The text states that Woolf’s sister Vanessa Bell was
a talented painter and that Bell worked with Woolf to provide the cover art for most of Woolf’s novels. Thus, this context
suggests that Woolf and Bell pursued a creative partnership in order to produce several of Woolf’s novels.
Choice A is incorrect because there is no indication that Woolf or Bell were undergoing a “rebellion,” or revolt, against
anything in particular. Instead, the text focuses on how they worked together in some aspects of the production of Woolf’s
novels. Choice C is incorrect because there is nothing in the text to indicate that Woolf or Bell made a “discovery,” or
encountered anything new for the ﬁrst time as they worked together. The text suggests that Woolf had already written her
novels and that Bell then assisted Woolf with the cover art for many of them. Choice D is incorrect because the text implies
that Woolf and Bell had a positive relationship. According to the text, the sisters “worked closely” together to produce the
cover art for many of Woolf’s novels; the text doesn’t mention whether while working together, Woolf and Bell had a
“disagreement,” or conﬂict.

Difficulty: Easy | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
Stomata, tiny pore structures in a leaf that absorb gases needed for plant growth, open when guard cells surrounding each
pore swell with water. In a pivotal 2007 article, plant cell ______ showed that lipid molecules called phosphatidylinositol
phosphates are responsible for signaling guard cells to open stomata.

Question: Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) biologist, Yuree Lee
B) biologist Yuree Lee,
C) biologist Yuree Lee
D) biologist, Yuree Lee,

Answer: C

Rationale: Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of punctuation between titles and proper nouns. No
punctuation is needed to offset the proper noun “Yuree Lee” form the title “plant cell biologist” that describes Lee.
Choice A is incorrect because no punctuation is needed. Choice B is incorrect because no punctuation is needed. Choice D
is incorrect because no punctuation is needed around the proper noun “Yuree Lee.” Setting the phrase off with punctuation
suggests that it could be removed without affecting the coherence of the sentence, which isn’t the case.

Difficulty: Hard | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
Detroit natives Timothy Paule and Nicole Lindsey have combined their two passions, Detroit and beekeeping, to improve the
health of their city’s ﬂowers and other vegetation. In 2017, the couple converted a vacant lot in the city into an ______ in the
years that followed they acquired nine additional lots and established more than 35 hives.

Question: Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) apiary,
B) apiary, and
C) apiary and
D) apiary

Answer: B

Rationale: Choice B is the best answer. Both clauses in this sentence could stand alone as complete sentences, which means they are
both independent clauses. This choice uses a comma plus a coordinating conjunction to link them together, which is one of
the correct ways to link two independent clauses. 
Choice A is incorrect. This choice results in a run-on sentence error. Both clauses in this sentence could stand alone as
complete sentences, which means they are both independent clauses. A comma by itself is not enough punctuation to link
two independent clauses. Choice C is incorrect. This choice results in a run-on sentence error. Both clauses in this sentence
could stand alone as complete sentences, which means they are both independent clauses. Independent clauses can only
be linked in a few ways, including with a comma plus a coordinating conjunction. This choice uses the coordinating
conjunction “and,” but it is missing the comma beforehand. Choice D is incorrect. This choice results in a run-on sentence
error. Both clauses in this sentence could stand alone as complete sentences, which means they are both independent
clauses. Independent clauses need to have certain kinds of punctuation marks between them. This choice doesn’t use any
punctuation between the two clauses.

Difficulty: Medium | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
A conceptual artist and designer embraced by both the art world and the fashion ______ Mary Ping was chosen to curate the
exhibition Front Row: Chinese American Designers for the Museum of Chinese in America.

Question: Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) world
B) world:
C) world;
D) world,

Answer: D

Rationale: Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation between a supplementary phrase and a main
clause. This choice correctly uses a comma to mark the boundary between the supplementary phrase (“A conceptual artist…
world”), which describes Mary Ping, and the main clause (“Mary…America”).
Choice A is incorrect because it fails to mark the boundary between the supplementary phrase (“A conceptual artist…world”)
and the main clause (“Mary…America”) with appropriate punctuation. Choice B is incorrect because a colon can’t be used in
this way to join the supplementary phrase (“A conceptual artist…world”) and the main clause (“Mary…America”). In this
context, the colon incorrectly suggests that the information in the supplementary phrase is an explanation or ampliﬁcation of
the information in the main clause (Mary Ping being chosen to curate the exhibition), which isn’t the case. Choice C is
incorrect because a semicolon can’t be used in this way to join the supplementary phrase (“A conceptual artist…world”) and
the main clause (“Mary…America”). Semicolons are conventionally used to separate two main clauses or to separate items in
a complex series.

Difficulty: Medium | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
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.

Question: 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

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.

Difficulty: Medium | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions