Question 195·Hard·Form, Structure, and Sense
A collection of rare manuscripts, along with several early printed books, _____ at risk of irreversible damage unless the library upgrades its climate-control system.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For subject-verb agreement questions, first strip away extra phrases—especially those in commas (like "along with," "together with," "as well as") and prepositional phrases (like "of rare manuscripts")—to find the core subject. Decide if that subject is singular or plural, then quickly eliminate any choices that don’t match in number. Finally, check whether the tense and aspect (simple vs. progressive) fit the meaning: general states and facts almost always use the simple present on the SAT, not a progressive "-ing" form.
Hints
Locate the main subject
Try crossing out the phrase between the commas ("along with several early printed books") and the prepositional phrase ("of rare manuscripts"). What word is left as the subject?
Check subject-verb agreement
Once you know the subject, ask: is it singular or plural? Then eliminate any answer choices that do not match that number.
Consider the verb tense and form
The sentence describes an ongoing condition about being "at risk." Does this kind of general state usually use a simple present verb form or a progressive "-ing" form?
Step-by-step Explanation
Find the true subject of the sentence
Ignore the descriptive phrases and focus on the core structure: "A collection of rare manuscripts, along with several early printed books, _____ at risk..." The prepositional phrase "of rare manuscripts" and the interrupter "along with several early printed books" do not change the subject. The true subject is "A collection," which is singular.
Decide whether the verb should be singular or plural
Because the subject "collection" is singular, the verb must also be singular to follow subject-verb agreement. Even though "manuscripts" and "books" are plural nouns, they are inside modifying phrases; they do not control the verb. So you need a singular present-tense verb form.
Compare the answer choices for number and tense
Look at each option: "remain" is plural present, "remains" is singular simple present, "are remaining" is plural present progressive, and "is remaining" is singular present progressive. Only the singular forms can match the singular subject, so you can eliminate the plural verbs and then consider which tense (simple vs. progressive) fits a general ongoing condition of being "at risk."
Choose the singular simple present verb
The sentence describes a general, ongoing state (the collection is and continues to be at risk), so the simple present is more natural than the progressive. The singular simple present form that fits is "remains," so the correct completion is: "A collection of rare manuscripts, along with several early printed books, remains at risk of irreversible damage unless the library upgrades its climate-control system."