Question 160·Easy·Form, Structure, and Sense
First published in 2012, the novel River’s Edge quickly gained a dedicated readership. Today, the novel ______ a staple in many high school literature courses.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For verb tense and subject–verb agreement questions, always read the entire sentence, including any time clues (like “in 2012,” “today,” “recently,” “for years”) to decide on the correct tense or verb form. Then, locate the true subject of the verb and determine whether it is singular or plural, ignoring any extra phrases in between. Eliminate choices that don’t match the subject’s number, and then among the remaining options, choose the verb form whose tense best fits the time relationship described in the sentence.
Hints
Check what the subject of the blank is
Ask yourself: which noun is actually doing the action of becoming a staple? Focus on the words right before the blank.
Use the timeline in the sentence
Notice the time markers: “First published in 2012” and “Today.” Think about what verb tense usually shows that something changed over a period of time from the past up to now.
Match the verb to a singular subject
Once you know the subject is singular, eliminate any verb form that would be used with a plural subject. Then check which remaining option best matches the time relationship in the sentence.
Step-by-step Explanation
Use the time clues to choose the tense
Look at the whole sentence: it mentions that the novel was first published in 2012 and then says, “Today, the novel ______ a staple….”
That structure shows a change that began in the past (since 2012) and is true up to now (today). In English, we usually express that kind of “from the past up to now” idea with the present perfect tense (forms like “has/have done,” “has/have become”). So we want a verb form that fits that pattern, not just a simple present or a continuous action happening only right now.
Identify the subject and its number (singular or plural)
The subject of the blank is “the novel” (not “courses” or “readership”). “Novel” is one book, so it is singular.
Because the subject is singular, the helping verb should also be singular. In present perfect, that means “has” (for singular) rather than “have” (for plural). Any verb phrase with “have” used for a plural subject will not agree with “the novel.”
Match the correct verb form to the subject and time
Now combine both ideas:
- We need a present-perfect style verb to show a change from 2012 up to today.
- We need a singular verb form to agree with the singular subject “the novel.”
Among the answer choices, the only verb phrase that is both present perfect and singular is “has become.”
State the final answer
The sentence should read:
“First published in 2012, the novel River’s Edge quickly gained a dedicated readership. Today, the novel has become a staple in many high school literature courses.”
So the correct choice is B) has become.