Question 106·Easy·Form, Structure, and Sense
The annual Harvest Parade in Brambleton draws visitors from across the region. Each float ____ with locally grown produce and seasonal flowers.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For subject–verb agreement questions, first underline the subject and decide if it is singular or plural, paying special attention to words like "each," "every," and "everyone," which make the subject singular. Then, check the surrounding sentences for the tense (present, past, or future) and keep your verb consistent. Finally, consider whether the subject is doing the action (active voice) or receiving the action (passive voice), and eliminate any choices that do not match the subject’s number, the passage’s tense, and the intended meaning.
Hints
Find the subject of the sentence
Focus on the phrase just before the blank: what is the subject, and is it singular or plural?
Check the time frame of the passage
Look at the verb in the first sentence ("draws"). Is it present, past, or future? The second sentence should be consistent with that.
Think about who is doing the action
Are the floats doing the decorating, or is something being done to the floats? Decide whether the verb in the blank should be active or passive.
Eliminate mismatched verb forms
Once you know if the subject is singular or plural and what tense and voice you need, cross out any choices that don’t match those requirements.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the subject and its number
Look at the part of the sentence before the blank: "Each float ____ with locally grown produce and seasonal flowers." The subject here is "Each float". Even though "float" can be plural, the word "each" makes the subject singular, so we need a singular verb form.
Match the tense to the rest of the passage
The first sentence says, "The annual Harvest Parade in Brambleton draws visitors..." The verb "draws" is in the simple present tense, showing a general, regularly occurring fact. The second sentence should stay consistent with this time frame, so we also want a present-tense verb, not a past-tense form.
Decide on active vs. passive voice
Ask yourself: Are the floats doing the decorating, or are they being decorated by someone else? The meaning is that people decorate the floats, so the floats are being decorated. That means we need a passive verb form ("is/are decorated"), not an active form like "have decorated," which would mean the floats decorated something else.
Choose the verb that fits number, tense, and voice
We need a verb that is singular (to match "Each float"), present tense (to match "draws"), and passive voice (to show that something is done to the floats). The only option that fits all three requirements is "is decorated", so the correct answer is B) is decorated.