Digital SAT® Practice Test 1: Reading and Writing Module 2 (Hard): Question 7 Explanation

Digital SAT Reading and Writing Test 6 Question 7

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

have suggested
suggest
were suggesting
suggests

Answer:

Explanation

The Bering Land Bridge was a landmass that connected Asia to North America during the last Ice Age. It was long believed that humans first crossed it and arrived in the Americas 13,000 years ago. However, the recent discovery of new archaeological sites suggests that humans may have crossed it between 15,500 and 20,000 years ago.

Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb “suggests” agrees in number with the singular subject “the recent discovery.”

Choices A, B, and C: The plural verbs “have suggested,” “suggest,” and “were suggesting” do not agree in number with the singular subject “the recent discovery.”

✨ Expert's Tip ✨

When the answer choices are verbs, be sure to first check out their agreement in number with the subject.
Trim the sentence by crossing out modifiers like prepositional phrases (“of new archaeological sites”) or words set off by commas.