betterMateusz/SAT_Writting_Reading_Assessment_Question_Bank huggingface dataset:
Mônica Lopes-Ferreira and others at Brazil’s Butantan Institute are studying the freshwater stingray species Potamotrygon
rex to determine whether biological characteristics such as the rays’ age and sex have ______ effect on the toxicity of their
venom—that is, to see if differences in these traits are associated with considerable variations in venom potency.

Question: Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) a disconcerting
B) an acceptable
C) an imperceptible
D) a substantial

Answer: D

Rationale: Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the research that Lopes-Ferreira
and her colleagues are conducting on the stingray species Potamotrygon rex. As used in this context, “a substantial” effect
means an effect that is sizable or noteworthy. The text indicates that the researchers are seeking to determine whether there
are “considerable variations” in the potency of stingray venom that are associated with variation in the stingrays’ age and
sex. This context suggests that the researchers want to ﬁnd out whether stingray age and sex have a substantial effect on
venom toxicity.
Choice A is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text that suggests that the researchers have been studying whether the
stingrays’ age and sex have “a disconcerting,” or an unsettling and disturbing, effect on the stingrays’ venom. The text
indicates that the researchers wish to determine if stingray age and sex cause large variations in the toxicity of stingray
venom, not if the effect of age and sex is disconcerting. Choice B is incorrect because the text indicates that researchers
want to ﬁnd out whether differences in stingray age and sex produce differences in stingray venom, not that the researchers
want to ﬁnd out whether age and sex have “an acceptable,” or a satisfactory, effect on venom. The text makes no mention of
what would make an effect on venom toxicity acceptable and gives no indication that the researchers are interested in that
question. Choice C is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context for the researchers to be looking for “an
imperceptible,” or an unnoticeable, effect of age and sex on stingray venom. The text says that the researchers are trying to
determine if there are “considerable variations” in venom toxicity linked to age and sex, not that the researchers are trying to
ﬁnd effects that they can’t perceive.

Difficulty: Easy | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
Former First Lady of the United States Eleanor Roosevelt and Indian activist and educator Hansa Mehta were instrumental in
drafting the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document that ______ the basic freedoms to which all
people are entitled.

Question: Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) have outlined
B) were outlining
C) outlines
D) outline

Answer: C

Rationale: Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb “outlines” agrees in
number with the singular subject “document.”
Choice A is incorrect because the plural verb “have outlined” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “document.”
Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb “were outlining” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “document.”
Choice D is incorrect because the plural verb “outline” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “document.”

Difficulty: Easy | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
In the early 1800s, the Cherokee scholar Sequoyah created the ﬁrst script, or writing system, for an Indigenous language in
the United States. Because it represented the sounds of spoken Cherokee so accurately, his script was easy to learn and
thus quickly achieved ______ use: by 1830, over 90 percent of the Cherokee people could read and write it.

Question: Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) widespread
B) careful
C) unintended
D) infrequent

Answer: A

Rationale: Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the writing system created by
Sequoyah. In this context, “widespread” means widely accepted or practiced. The text indicates that because Sequoyah’s
script accurately represented the spoken sounds of the Cherokee language and was easy to learn, nearly all Cherokee people
were able to read and write it soon after it was created. This context demonstrates that the script was widely used by the
Cherokee people.
Choice B is incorrect. In this context, “careful” would mean exercised with care and attentive concern. Although the work of
creating a writing system likely involved great care, the text indicates that the system was “easy to learn,” which conﬂicts
with the idea that using this system requires a noteworthy amount of care. Choice C is incorrect because in this context
“unintended” means not deliberate. The idea that using Sequoyah’s script was unintentional conﬂicts directly with the claim
that it was easy to learn and used by “over 90% of the Cherokee people” by 1830. In fact, because one had to learn this
system, it’s not clear how one could use it unintentionally. Choice D is incorrect because in this context “infrequent” means
rare or not occurring often, which conﬂicts directly with the claim that “over 90% of the Cherokee people” were using
Sequoyah’s script by 1830.

Difficulty: Easy | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
In many agricultural environments, the banks of streams are kept forested to protect water quality, but it’s been unclear what
effects these forests may have on stream biodiversity. To investigate the issue, biologist Xingli Giam and colleagues studied
an Indonesian oil palm plantation, comparing the species richness of forested streams with that of nonforested streams.
Giam and colleagues found that species richness was signiﬁcantly higher in forested streams, a ﬁnding the researchers
attribute to the role leaf litter plays in sheltering ﬁsh from predators and providing food resources.

Question: Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
A) It discusses research intended to settle a debate about how agricultural yields can be increased without negative effects
on water quality.
B) It explains the differences between stream-protection strategies used in oil palm plantations and stream-protection
strategies used in other kinds of agricultural environments.
C) It describes ﬁndings that challenge a previously held view about how ﬁsh that inhabit streams in agricultural
environments attempt to avoid predators.
D) It presents a study that addresses an unresolved question about the presence of forests along streams in agricultural

Answer: D

Rationale: Choice D is the best answer. The author ﬁrst describes an unresolved question: what effect do bank forests have on stream
biodiversity? Then the author presents a study that answers the question: bank forests increase stream biodiversity.
Choice A is incorrect. This isn’t the main purpose of the text. The text never mentions agricultural yields. Choice B is
incorrect. This isn’t the main purpose of the text. The text never mentions other kinds of agricultural environments. Choice C
is incorrect. This isn’t the main purpose of the text. The text never mentions any previously held view about how ﬁsh in these
streams try to avoid predators.

Difficulty: Easy | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
A study by a team including ﬁnance professor Madhu Veeraraghavan suggests that exposure to sunshine during the
workday can lead to overly optimistic behavior. Using data spanning from 1994 to 2010 for a set of US companies, the team
compared over 29,000 annual earnings forecasts to the actual earnings later reported by those companies. The team found
that the greater the exposure to sunshine at work in the two weeks before a manager submitted an earnings forecast, the
more the manager’s forecast exceeded what the company actually earned that year.

Question: Which choice best states the function of the underlined sentence in the overall structure of the text?
A) To summarize the results of the team’s analysis
B) To present a speciﬁc example that illustrates the study’s ﬁndings
C) To explain part of the methodology used in the team’s study
D) To call out a challenge the team faced in conducting its analysis

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
sentence presents the implications of Veeraraghavan’s team’s study: sunshine exposure during work hours can cause overly
optimistic behavior. The underlined sentence then describes the data the team consulted and how they were used
(comparing predictions about earnings to what the companies actually earned), and the ﬁnal sentence presents what the
team found in their examination of the data. Thus, the underlined sentence mainly functions to explain part of the
methodology used in the team’s study.
Choice A is incorrect because the underlined sentence explains in part how the team conducted their analysis of the effect
of sunshine but doesn’t address what the team found; a broad summary is instead given in the other two sentences. Choice
B is incorrect because the underlined sentence doesn’t present any speciﬁc examples from the team’s comparisons of
29,000 earnings predictions to actual earnings; it simply explains in part how the team conducted their analysis. Choice D is
incorrect because the underlined sentence simply explains in part how the team conducted their analysis; the text never
mentions any challenges that the team encountered in their study.

Difficulty: Hard | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
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.

Question: 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’.

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.’”

Difficulty: Medium | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
Fans of science ﬁction will ______ multiple references to classic sci-ﬁ stories in Janelle Monáe’s song lyrics, including her
recurring nods to the plot of the 1927 sci-ﬁ ﬁlm Metropolis.

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

Answer: A

Rationale: Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested here is punctuation between a verb and object. No punctuation is
needed between the verb ("appreciate") and its object ("the multiple references..."). The object helps complete the idea of the
verb—in this case, it explains what fans of science ﬁction will appreciate—and any punctuation between the two results in an
ungrammatical sentence.
Choice B is incorrect because no punctuation is needed between the verb and its object. Choice C is incorrect because no
punctuation is needed between the verb and its object. Choice D is incorrect because no punctuation is needed between the
verb and its object.

Difficulty: Easy | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
Compared to that of alumina glass, ______ silica glass atoms are so far apart that they are unable to re-form bonds after
being separated.

Question: Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) silica glass is at a signiﬁcant disadvantage due to its more dispersed atomic arrangement:
B) silica glass has a more dispersed atomic arrangement, resulting in a signiﬁcant disadvantage:
C) a signiﬁcant disadvantage of silica glass is that its atomic arrangement is more dispersed:
D) silica glass’s atomic arrangement is more dispersed, resulting in a signiﬁcant disadvantage:

Answer: D

Rationale: Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-modiﬁer placement. This choice makes “silica glass’s
atomic arrangement” the subject of the sentence and places it immediately after the modifying phrase “compared to that of
alumina glass.” In doing so, this choice clearly establishes that silica glass’s atomic arrangement—and not another noun in
the sentence—is being compared to the atomic arrangement (“that”) of alumina glass.
Choice A is incorrect because it results in a dangling modiﬁer. The placement of the noun phrase “silica glass” immediately
after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that silica glass itself (rather than its atomic arrangement) is being compared
to alumina glass’s atomic arrangement. Choice B is incorrect because it results in a dangling modiﬁer. The placement of the
noun phrase “silica glass” immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that silica glass itself (rather than its
atomic arrangement) is being compared to alumina glass’s atomic arrangement. Choice C is incorrect because it results in a
dangling modiﬁer. The placement of the noun phrase “a signiﬁcant disadvantage” immediately after the modifying phrase
illogically suggests that “a signiﬁcant disadvantage” is being compared to alumina glass’s atomic arrangement.

Difficulty: Hard | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
In 1955, Indian Bengali ﬁlmmaker Satyajit Ray released his ﬁrst movie, Pather ______ quiet black-and-white drama about a
family in rural India, Ray’s ﬁlm was quite different from the loud, colorful action-romance movies that were popular at the
time.

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

Answer: D

Rationale: Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation use between sentences. In this choice, the period is
used correctly to mark the boundary between one sentence ("In…Panchali") and another ("A quiet…time"). The phrase
beginning with "a quiet" modiﬁes the subject of the next sentence, "Ray’s ﬁlm."
Choice A is incorrect because it results in a run-on sentence. The sentences are fused without punctuation and/or a
conjunction. Choice B is incorrect because it results in a comma splice. A comma can’t be used in this way to mark the
boundary between sentences. Choice C is incorrect because it results in a comma splice. A comma can’t be used in this way
to mark the boundary between sentences.

Difficulty: Hard | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
The 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to three pioneers in the ﬁeld of click chemistry: two-time Nobel laureate
Barry Sharpless, who coined the term “click chemistry” in 1998; Carolyn Bertozzi, founder of the Bertozzi Group at ______ and
Morten Meldal, a professor at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.

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

Answer: D

Rationale: Choice D is the best answer. This choice correctly uses a semicolon to punctuate a complex list (which is made up of items
that have commas in them).
Choice A is incorrect. This is a complex list, indicated by the semicolon between "1998" and "Carolyn Bertozzi." What comes
after the blank is a separate list item, so punctuation is needed after "Stanford." Choice B is incorrect. This is a complex list,
indicated by the semicolon between "1998" and "Carolyn Bertozzi." The items in this list have internal punctuation in the form
of commas and must therefore be separated by semicolons to avoid confusion. Choice C is incorrect. This is a complex list,
indicated by the semicolon between "1998" and "Carolyn Bertozzi." Colons aren’t used to separate items in a list.

Difficulty: Medium | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
The Cambrian explosion gets its name from the sudden appearance and rapid diversiﬁcation of animal remains in the fossil
record about 541 million years ago, during the Cambrian period. Some scientists argue that this ______ change in the fossil
record might be because of a shift in many organisms to body types that were more likely to be preserved.

Question: Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) catastrophic
B) elusive
C) abrupt
D) imminent

Answer: C

Rationale: Choice C is the best answer because it most logically and precisely completes the text’s discussion of the fossil record from
the Cambrian period. In this context, “abrupt” means sudden. The text explains that the fossil record reﬂects the unexpected
appearance and rapid diversiﬁcation, or increase in variety, of animal remains during the Cambrian period. This context
establishes that these remains’ entry into the fossil record was sudden.
Choice A is incorrect. Although the word “explosion” appears in the name of the event marked by the fossil record change,
the text never suggests that the change was “catastrophic,” or disastrous. In context, “explosion” refers to the rapid
diversiﬁcation, or the swift increase in variety, of animal remains in the fossil record—a phenomenon that the text presents in
a relatively neutral manner, without commenting on whether it was negative or positive. Choice B is incorrect because the
text never suggests that the change toward greater diversiﬁcation is “elusive,” or diﬃcult to locate, in the fossil record.
Rather, the text notes that the change occurred about 541 million years ago, suggesting that scientists have indeed been
able to locate it. Choice D is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to describe the change in the fossil record
as “imminent,” or about to occur, since the text indicates that the change already occurred millions of years ago.

Difficulty: Easy | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
Po’Pay was a Tewa leader from Ohkay Owingeh, a pueblo located about twenty-ﬁve miles north of present-day Santa Fe, New
Mexico. He was instrumental in organizing the Pueblo Revolt of ______ as a result of his leadership, the Spanish colonizers
were expelled from the region for a time.

Question: Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) 1680
B) 1680 and
C) 1680,
D) 1680, and

Answer: D

Rationale: Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is the coordination of main clauses within a sentence. This choice
correctly uses a comma and the coordinating conjunction “and” to join the ﬁrst main clause (“He…1680”) and the second
main clause (“as…time”).
Choice A is incorrect because it results in a run-on sentence. The two main clauses are fused without punctuation and/or a
conjunction. Choice B is incorrect because when coordinating two longer main clauses such as these, it’s conventional to
use a comma before the coordinating conjunction. Choice C is incorrect because it results in a comma splice. Without a
conjunction following it, a comma can’t be used in this way to join two main clauses.

Difficulty: Medium | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
In ancient Greece, an Epicurean was a follower of Epicurus, a philosopher whose beliefs revolved around the pursuit of
pleasure. Epicurus deﬁned pleasure as “the absence of pain in the body and of trouble in the ______ that all life’s virtues
derived from this absence.

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

Answer: A

Rationale: Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation use between a main clause and a participial phrase.
This choice correctly uses a comma to mark the boundary between the main clause (“Epicurus…‘soul’”) and the participial
phrase (“positing…absence”) that provides additional information about how Epicurus deﬁned pleasure.
Choice B is incorrect because a colon can’t be used in this way to join a main clause and a participial phrase. Choice C is
incorrect because a semicolon can’t be used in this way to join a main clause and a participial phrase. Choice D is incorrect
because it results in a rhetorically unacceptable sentence fragment beginning with “positing.”

Difficulty: Medium | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
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.

Question: Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) those
B) one
C) them
D) it

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.”

Difficulty: Medium | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
The following text is adapted from Herman Melville’s 1857 novel The Conﬁdence-Man. Humphry Davy was a prominent
British chemist and inventor.
Years ago, a grave American savant, being in London, observed at an evening party there, a certain coxcombical fellow,
as he thought, an absurd ribbon in his lapel, and full of smart [banter], whisking about to the admiration of as many as
were disposed to admire. Great was the savant’s disdain; but, chancing ere long to ﬁnd himself in a corner with the
jackanapes, got into conversation with him, when he was somewhat ill-prepared for the good sense of the jackanapes,
but was altogether thrown aback, upon subsequently being [informed that he was] no less a personage than Sir
Humphry Davy.

Question: Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
A) It portrays the thoughts of a character who is embarrassed about his own behavior.
B) It presents an account of a misunderstanding.
C) It offers a short history of how a person came to be famous.
D) It explains why one character dislikes another.

Answer: B

Rationale: Choice B is the best answer. The text tells a story of a ﬁrst impression that turned out to be wrong: a serious American
savant was dismissive of a goofy-looking, wisecracking guest at a British party, and then was shocked to learn that the guest
was actually a prominent British chemist and inventor.
Choice A is incorrect. This is too strong and too narrow. Only at the very end is the savant "thrown aback" by the fact that the
man was Sir Humphry Davy—he’s not "embarrassed about his own behavior." Choice C is incorrect. This isn’t the main
purpose. The text never provides the history of how Sir Humphry Davy came to be famous. Nor does it provide any history for
the American savant. Choice D is incorrect. This is too narrow. It doesn’t include the second half of the text, where the savant
gets into a conversation with the man and then ﬁnds out that the man is Sir Humphry Davy.

Difficulty: Hard | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
After the United Kingdom began rolling out taxes equivalent to a few cents on single-use plastic grocery bags in 2011,
plastic-bag consumption decreased by up to ninety ______ taxes are subject to what economists call the “rebound effect”: as
the change became normalized, plastic-bag use started to creep back up.

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

Answer: C

Rationale: Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation use between sentences. In this choice, the period
after “percent” is used correctly to mark the boundary between one sentence (“After…percent”) and another (“Such…up”).
Choice A is incorrect because it results in a comma splice. A comma can’t be used in this way to mark the boundary
between sentences. Choice B is incorrect. Without a comma preceding it, the conjunction “and” can’t be used in this way to
join sentences. Choice D is incorrect because it results in a run-on sentence. The sentences (“After…percent” and “Such…up”)
are fused without punctuation and/or a conjunction.

Difficulty: Easy | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
Winding through the ice atop Norway’s Jotunheim Mountains is the Lendbreen pass, an ancient route that was used by
hunters, farmers, traders, and travelers in the Middle Ages before eventually falling into disuse. Recently, archeologists have
______ knives, horseshoes, wool tunics, and thousands of other artifacts from the icy pass.

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

Answer: D

Rationale: Choice D is the best answer. No punctuation should separate the verb "unearthed" and its objects (i.e, what was
"unearthed"): "knives, horseshoes, wool tunics, and thousands of other artifacts."
Choice A is incorrect. This choice creates a punctuation error, separating the verb "unearthed" from its objects (i.e, what was
"unearthed") with a colon. Choice B is incorrect. This choice creates a punctuation error, separating the verb "unearthed"
from its objects (i.e, what was "unearthed") with a comma. Choice C is incorrect. This choice creates a punctuation error,
separating the verb "unearthed" from its objects (i.e, what was "unearthed") with a dash.

Difficulty: Easy | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
On sunny days, dark rooftops absorb solar energy and convert it to unwanted heat, raising the surrounding air ______ a light-
colored covering to an existing dark roof, either by attaching prefabricated reﬂective sheets or spraying on a paint-like
coating, helps combat this effect.

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

Answer: C

Rationale: Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation use between sentences. In this choice, the period is
used correctly to mark the boundary between the ﬁrst sentence (“On…temperature”) and the second sentence (“Adding…
effect”). The gerund phrase beginning with “adding” is the subject of the second sentence, and the verb phrase “helps
combat this effect” describes what adding a light-colored covering can do. 
Choice A is incorrect because a semicolon can’t be used in this way to join the sentence “On...temperature” and the
supplementary phrases that follow. Doing so leaves the verb phrase “helps combat” without a subject and thus results in a
grammatically unconventional sentence. Choice B is incorrect because it results in a comma splice. A comma can’t be used
in this way to mark the boundary between sentences. Choice D is incorrect. This choice results in a confusing and illogical
sentence that suggests that adding a light-colored covering to an existing dark roof raises the temperature of the
surrounding air. Furthermore, it creates ambiguity by leaving the verb phrase “helps combat” without a subject (so it isn’t
clear what helps combat the effect).

Difficulty: Hard | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
Bengali author Toru Dutt’s A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields (1876), a volume of English translations of French poems, ______
scholars’ understanding of the transnational and multilingual contexts in which Dutt lived and worked.

Question: Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) has enhanced
B) are enhancing
C) have enhanced
D) enhance

Answer: A

Rationale: Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb “has enhanced”
agrees in number with the singular subject “A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields,” which is the title of a book of poems.
Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb “are enhancing” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “A Sheaf
Gleaned in French Fields.” Choice C is incorrect because the plural verb “have enhanced” doesn’t agree in number with the
singular subject “A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields.” Choice D is incorrect because the plural verb “enhance” doesn’t agree in
number with the singular subject “A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields.”

Difficulty: Hard | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
The Mule Bone, a 1930 play written by Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes, is perhaps the best-known of the few
examples of ______ in literature. Most writers prefer working alone, and given that working together cost Hurston and Hughes
their friendship, it is not hard to see why.

Question: Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) characterization
B) interpretation
C) collaboration
D) commercialization

Answer: C

Rationale: Choice C is the best answer because it logically and precisely completes the text’s discussion of The Mule Bone, a play that
Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes wrote together. In this context, “collaboration” means working together with
someone to write a literary work. The text indicates that most writers prefer to work alone and that working together
destroyed the friendship between Hurston and Hughes. This establishes that The Mule Bone is a relatively rare example of
collaboration in literature.
Choice A is incorrect because in this context, “characterization” would mean a literary work’s portrayal of characters’
psychological experiences and motivations, but the text doesn’t discuss characterization in The Mule Bone speciﬁcally or in
collaborative works more generally. Choice B is incorrect because in this context, “interpretation” would mean the
explanation of a literary work’s meaning or signiﬁcance, but the text doesn’t discuss how readers or critics have interpreted
The Mule Bone; instead, the text discusses how the play was written collaboratively and how the writing process affected the
two authors. Choice D is incorrect because in this context, “commercialization” would mean writing a literary work in such a
way as to ensure its commercial appeal, but the text never discusses commercial appeal as a factor in the writing of The
Mule Bone speciﬁcally or the writing of collaborative works more generally.

Difficulty: Easy | Domain: Craft_and_Structure