Form, Structure and Sense Test- 3 - SAT MCQ

Choice A. This choice creates a sentence fragment. The present participle "encompassing" can't serve as a verb on its own, which leaves the sentence without a main verb.

Choice B. This choice creates a sentence fragment. The infinitive form "to encompass" can't serve as a verb on its own, which leaves the sentence without a main verb.

Choice C. This is the best choice. The simple present tense verb "encompasses" is used appropriately to state a general fact.

Choice D. This choice creates a sentence fragment. The participle phrase "having encompassed" can't serve as a verb on its own, which leaves the sentence without a main verb.

Choice A. This choice creates a verb form error. The past progressive verb "were occurring" shouldn't be used to express this general fact (disconnected from time). Notice that "were occurring" doesn't match the simple present tense verb "is" used earlier in the sentence.

Choice B. This is the best choice. The simple present tense "occur" is appropriate for describing a general fact (like this sentence does). Also, notice that "occur" matches the simple present tense "is" used earlier in the sentence.

Choice C. This choice creates a verb form error. The present progressive verb "are occurring" shouldn't be used to express this general fact (which is disconnected from time). Notice that "are occurring" doesn't match the simple present tense verb "is" used earlier in the sentence.

Choice D. This choice creates a verb form error. The future perfect verb "will have occurred" shouldn't be used to express this general fact (disconnected from time). Notice that "will have occurred" doesn't match the simple present tense verb "is" used earlier in the sentence.

Choice A. This choice creates a verb form error. Notice that the present tense verb "include" doesn't match the time frame indicated by the sentence. Context clues like "before the museum closed" and the past tense verb "faced" indicate that the actions in the sentence occurred in the past.

Choice B. This choice creates a verb form error. Notice that the future tense verb "will include" doesn't match the time frame indicated by the sentence. Context clues like "before the museum closed" and the past tense verb "faced" indicate that the actions in the sentence occurred in the past.

Choice C. This choice creates a verb form error. The sentence describes factual challenges faced by the museum, so the conditional verb "would include" doesn't make sense here.

Choice D. This is the best choice. The simple past tense verb "included" matches the past tense verb "faced" and corresponds to the time frame indicated by the sentence ("before the museum closed").

Notice that the blank in this question follows an introductory modifying phrase. Also, notice that the choices are fairly complex and place words in very different orders. These are strong indications that the question will require us to avoid an error in subject-modifier placement.

Let's look at the modifying phrase in this question:

"Based on events that occurred when Rabinal was a city-state ruled by a king,"

We need to place a noun directly after this phrase that can be logically described as "based on events". The only noun in the choices that could logically described as "based on events" is the story itself: Rabinal Achí.

Only choice A places "Rabinal Achí" directly after the modifying phrase. Choice A is the answer.

Choice A. This choice creates a modifier placement error. Notice that, because "salmon's" is possessive, the descriptive phrase applies to "life cycle". Therefore, this choice illogically suggests that the "life cycle" has "returned from the ocean".

Choice B. This is the best choice. "An adult salmon" is appropriately placed so that it is logically described as "having returned from the ocean".

Choice C. This choice creates a modifier placement error. It suggests that the "spawning and death" have "returned from the ocean", which doesn't make sense.

Choice D. This choice creates a modifier placement error. It suggests that the "life cycle" has "returned from the ocean", which doesn't make sense.

Choice A. This choice creates a modifier placement error. It indicates that "surfers" are "generated by seasonal storms", which doesn't make sense.

Choice B. This is the best choice. "Winter swells" is effectively placed so that it's logically described as "generated by seasonal storms".

Choice C. This choice creates a modifier placement error. It indicates that "the shore" is "generated by seasonal storms", which doesn't make sense.

Choice D. This choice creates a modifier placement error. It indicates that "winter" is "generated by seasonal storms", which doesn't make sense.

Choice A. This choice mistakenly makes "poems" singular and possessive when there are multiple poems and nothing in the sentence belongs to them.

Choice B. This choice mistakenly makes "poems" singular and possessive when there are multiple poems and nothing in the sentence belongs to them. It also mistakenly makes "novels'" plural.

Choice C. This choice mistakenly makes "novels'" both plural and possessive. There's only one novel, so it should be singular and possessive.

Choice D. This is the best choice. It logically makes "poems" plural and "novel's" possessive.

We should quickly notice that the choices are quite similar: the only difference is the placement of apostrophes. This is a strong indication that the question will require us to avoid an error in plurals and possessives.

There are two words up for debate in the choices:

"poems"

"novels"

Let's take them on one at a time.

"Poems":

Based on the sentence, we're discussing more than one poem, so "poems" must be plural.

What comes after "poems" doesn't belong to the poems, so "poems" should not be possessive.

Since plural, non-possessive nouns don't require an apostrophe, the noun used should be "poems".

"Novels":

Based on the sentence, we're discussion only one novel, so "novels" should not be plural.

What comes after "novels" (the protagonist) does belong to the novel, so "novels" must be possessive.

Since singular possessive nouns require an apostrophe before the "s", the noun used should be "novel's".

Only choice D uses both the nouns "poems" and "novel's". Choice D is the answer.

Choice A. This is the best choice. The plural possessive noun "workers'" is used correctly to indicate that the plural "rights" belong to the workers.

Choice B. This choice illogically indicates that "worker" is singular.

Choice C. This choice illogically makes "rights'" possessive when nothing belong to the rights. It also fails to reflect the fact that the "rights" belong to the "workers".

Choice D. This choice illogically makes "rights'" possessive when nothing in the sentence belong to the rights.

Choice A. This choice illogically makes "patterns'" possessive when nothing in the sentence belongs to the patterns. It also fails to indicate that the "walls" belong to the canyon.

Choice B. This choice illogically indicates that "canyons" is plural, which doesn't agree with the singular article "a".

Choice C. This choice illogically makes "patterns'" possessive when nothing in the sentence belongs to the patterns.

Choice D. This is the best choice. "Patterns" must be plural to match the plural verb "are", but nothing belongs to the patterns, so no apostrophe is needed. "Canyon" must be singular because of the singular article "a", and is appropriately made possessive to indicate that the "walls" belong to the canyon.

Option B is correct because a dangling modifier refers to a word or phrase that modifies a word not clearly stated in the sentence.