Question 146·Medium·Form, Structure, and Sense
In the gallery’s newest exhibition, a series of large-scale photographs depicting rapidly changing cityscapes ______ to reconsider their assumptions about urban space.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For SAT subject–verb agreement questions, first strip the sentence down to its core by crossing out prepositional phrases and extra descriptions (for example, “of large-scale photographs…”). Identify the true subject and decide if it is singular or plural, then match it with a verb form that agrees in number. Next, check the time frame and purpose of the sentence—general descriptions almost always use the simple present tense. Finally, eliminate any options with mismatched number (singular vs. plural) or unnecessary tense shifts (progressive or perfect when a simple form is better).
Hints
Find the core of the sentence
Mentally cover up the phrase “of large-scale photographs depicting rapidly changing cityscapes.” What is the main noun left that is doing the action?
Singular or plural subject?
Ask yourself: Is that main noun one thing or more than one thing? Your verb has to match that number exactly.
What time frame does the sentence describe?
Is the sentence describing a general, ongoing effect of the exhibition, or a single completed action? Choose a verb form (simple present, progressive, or perfect) that matches that idea.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the sentence’s true subject
Ignore the extra descriptive words and prepositional phrases. The core of the sentence is:
“In the gallery’s newest exhibition, a series … ______ to reconsider their assumptions about urban space.”
The phrase “of large-scale photographs depicting rapidly changing cityscapes” only describes the series. The subject doing the action is “a series,” which is singular.
Decide what kind of verb is needed
Because “a series” is singular, the verb must also be singular.
The sentence is describing what the exhibition generally does (its ongoing effect), not a one-time or completed action. That calls for the simple present tense (like “works,” “shows,” “invites”), not a progressive form (“is/are inviting”) or a perfect form (“has invited”).
Check each answer choice against number and tense
Go through the options and compare them to the singular subject and the need for simple present:
- “invite viewers” – base form used with plural subjects or “I/you”; it does not match a singular subject like “a series.”
- “are inviting viewers” – uses are, which goes with a plural subject, and the progressive form is not needed for this general description.
- “has invited viewers” – matches a singular subject, but it suggests a completed action in the recent past, not an ongoing characteristic of the exhibition.
Only one remaining choice gives a singular, simple-present verb that fits the sentence’s meaning.
Select the choice that fits
The only option that uses a singular, simple-present verb and matches the meaning is “invites viewers.”
So the completed sentence is:
“In the gallery’s newest exhibition, a series of large-scale photographs depicting rapidly changing cityscapes invites viewers to reconsider their assumptions about urban space.”