Subject-verb agreement
Choose the correct verb.
The basket of apples (sit / sits) on the table.
sits
Researchers gave Plant A eight hours of sunlight and Plant B four hours. Plant A grew 6 cm; Plant B grew 2 cm.
Which detail best supports the claim that more sunlight increased growth?
Plant A grew 6 cm, while Plant B grew 2 cm.
Nia reread every step after the experiment failed and found the group’s measuring error.
Which trait is best supported?
A. careless B. observant C. impatient
B. observant
Bees carry pollen between flowers. This helps plants make seeds and fruit. Many crops depend on bees.
What is the central idea?
Bees help plants reproduce and are important to many crops
Choose the correct verb, then identify the subject.
The evidence from both articles (support / supports) the claim.
supports; subject = evidence
Choose the correct verb.
Neither the coach nor the players (was / were) ready for the rain.
were
A student claims salt speeds up ice melting. Which evidence is strongest?
A. Salt tastes different from ice.
B. Salted ice melted in 12 minutes; plain ice melted in 25 minutes.
C. Both samples were cold.
B
In her 2021 article “Throwaway History: Towards a Historiography of Ephemera,” scholar Anne Garner discusses John Johnson (1882–1956), a devoted collector of items intended to be discarded, including bus tickets and campaign pamphlets. Johnson recognized that scholarly institutions considered his expansive collection of ephemera to be worthless—indeed, it wasn’t until 1968, after Johnson’s death, that Oxford University’s Bodleian Library acquired the collection, having grasped the items’ potential value to historians and other researchers. Hence, the example of Johnson serves to ______blank
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A) demonstrate the difficulties faced by contemporary historians in conducting research at the Bodleian Library without access to ephemera.
B) represent the challenge of incorporating examples of ephemera into the collections of libraries and other scholarly institutions.
C) lend support to arguments by historians and other researchers who continue to assert that ephemera holds no value for scholars.
D) illustrate both the relatively low scholarly regard in which ephemera was once held and the later recognition of ephemera’s possible utility.
D) illustrate both the relatively low scholarly regard in which ephemera was once held and the later recognition of ephemera’s possible utility.
A city planted trees along several hot streets. Five years later, shaded blocks averaged 4°F cooler than blocks without trees.
What inference is supported?
Planting trees can help reduce street-level heat
The scientists report that each sample (contain / contains) minerals. Choose the verb and explain.
contains
Find and correct the error.
Each of the experiments produce useful data.
Each of the experiments produces useful data
Claim: Warmer water dissolves sugar faster.
Trial results: 10°C—90 sec; 25°C—48 sec; 50°C—20 sec.
What conclusion is best supported?
As water temperature increased, dissolving time decreased
‘I can carry it myself,’ Lena said, shifting the heavy box away from her brother’s hands.
What does this dialogue reveal about Lena?
Lena is independent—or possibly stubborn.
Coral reefs cover little of the ocean floor, yet they shelter thousands of species and protect coasts from waves.
Which statement best expresses the central idea?
Although coral reefs cover a small area, they provide major ecological and coastal benefits.
Claim: Exercise improves mood.
Evidence: In a survey, 70% of students reported feeling calmer after a 20-minute walk.
Is the evidence relevant? Explain.
Yes, it is relevant.
Complete the sentence.
The results of the study _____ that sleep affects memory.
A. suggests B. suggest
B. suggest
Scientists found birds on Island X had thicker beaks after a drought. Hard seeds were more common than soft seeds.
Which evidence most strongly explains the beak change?
Hard seeds became more common after the drought
At first, Devon hid his sketchbook. By Friday, he placed his drawing in the center of the class display.
Which evidence best shows that Devon changed?
He placed his drawing in the center of the class display
The author explains that wolves reduce elk overgrazing and that streamside plants return when elk move more often.
How do these details develop the central idea?
They show how one species can affect many parts of an ecosystem.
A narrator says, ‘Jalen never worries,’ but Jalen checks the locked door four times.
Which evidence should a reader trust most when making an inference?
Jalen checks the locked door four times.
Which sentence is correct?
A. There is several reasons to revise.
B. There are several reasons to revise.
C. There’s several reasons to revise.
B. There are several reasons to revise
A report says a fertilizer caused taller plants. Fertilized plants averaged 18 cm; untreated plants averaged 17 cm. The report gives no sample size and no repeated trials.
Why is the evidence limited?
The small difference may not be reliable because sample size and repeated-trial data are missing.
Maya says she is ‘fine,’ but she folds the letter into smaller and smaller squares and avoids looking at her mother.
What inference is best supported, and which details support it?
Maya is upset or anxious.
Passage 1 says school gardens improve science learning. Passage 2 says gardens require time, money, and maintenance.
What conclusion is supported by both?
School gardens can benefit learning, but schools must plan for the resources they require.
Revise the sentence for agreement, then judge the evidence.
The results of one short trial proves that the new medicine works.
The results of one short trial prove that the new medicine works.